Two Plays in Paris this Summer
by Jane Rosenstein and Didier Lambert
Operetta – an Unusal Musical
Another journalist from VT , Francisca Grnupp, went with us to see very unusual musical, “Operetta” , directed by Jordi Purti and having the musical driector of David Costa . It was presented at Theatre Antoine. With mime, fabulous guestures and dance 25 young Spanish singers interpret some famous excerpts from operas by Verdi, Rossini, Bellini, Mozart, Wagner, Saint -Saens Murssorgsky and Offenback. The actors and actresses play comedy in an usual way mixing opera and general theatre.
We sat with a young actress from Barcelona who came to see her friend in the production. She told us that she saw “Operetta¨in Barcelona before it came to Paris. “Operetta “was nominated for Premois Max in Spain, an award similar to the Molières in France; It was a big success in the festival ¨Avignon Off¨in Avignon, France in 2012. The muscial appeals to all whether or not they speak French. It was thrilling to experience the fast paced energy of these singers and dancers. We left the theatre feeling happy.
Et si on parlait Marriage – a French comedy by Feydou
In an usual venue, Théâtre Blancs Manteaux located in a chique area of Paris le Marais;, we saw another of Feydeau’s plays. After enjoying ¨ S’Ocuppe Toi de Amélie¨ by Feydou and ¨ Le Dindon¨¨ by Feydeau we decided to see two short plays he wrote called ¨ Et si on parlait Mariage¨ ( Speaking about marriage); Théâtre Blancs Manteaux is a theatre which is unique- a place where actors and actresses are discovered. The théâtre runs the plays for about three to six months. Over 50,000 persons attended last year.
We desended into a theatre, situated in a cellar with seating for 100 people- a very pleasing venue where six French comedians from the theatre group Apocope presented two short comedies by Feydeau. We joined the audience in many laughs about lovers seeking to get married. To appreciate this play, it is necessary to understand French. Attendess for this production were offered special prices of 10 Euros to return to see this play or other plays at Théâtre Blancs Manteaux.
