Grace and Josephine
In the 1950s, Grace Kelly was an internationally acclaimed actress. She had appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant and won the Academy Award for Best Actress from her performance in The Country Girl. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Josephine Baker was a star beyond compare in France and all of Europe.
Overt racism and segregation in America provide the backdrop. One night in 1951 while Grace was dining with friends at the famous Stork Club in NYC, she noticed a beautiful black woman, Josephine Baker, standing at the front of the restaurant. Grace watched as the maitre d’ refused to seat Josephine. Grace excused herself from her table and told the maitre ‘d that if they did not serve Josephine, they could not serve her. When they failed to capitulate, Grace and her entire table exited the restaurant with Josephine, vowing never to return.
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Thus begun the lifelong friendship between the two with both women experiencing some incredible highs and lows,
professionally and personally. This adventure involves stunning glamour - Grace meeting Prince Rainier and eventually becoming a monarch, and Josephine conquering the worlds’ stages with her astounding talent and presence.
Towards the end of Josephine’s life, she was financially distressed. Grace and Rainier helped housing her and her children, they also decided to give Josephine what she loved most; they financed a spectacular comeback show for her at the Bobino Theater in Paris. The show was a smashing success. Josephine was back on top, thrilling audiences with her stunning vocals and magnetic physical presence. The press went wild with enthusiastic praise and reviews. Josephine was overwhelmed with gratitude towards Grace and Rainier and to her fans, who never had deserted her.
After three performances and with her spirits soaring with love and gratitude, Josephine died unexpectedly in bed surrounded by her reviews, peacefully in her sleep. In the end, her friend Grace had known exactly what she wanted and needed.
This little-known story will touch the hearts of audiences the world over. It hopes to lead each one of us to look inward and stand up for what is right, to persevere in spite of sometimes overwhelming obstacles, and to always lead with love. The story is relatable and universal as to what friends will do for each other in times of great need with the crossover of cultures and classes providing an even wider fan base..