Three Kings – The Old Vic (05/09/2020) FRENCH

W.A.W. Non mais, waw quoi ! Quel paquet d’émotions en pleine tronche ce soir, mes amis… 

Chez nous, en France, en Angleterre et dans de nombreux autres pays, la vie est difficile pour le monde artistique et la culture en général... 

À Londres, le West End est fermé depuis maintenant plusieurs mois et connaît la période la plus difficile de son histoire. Certains théâtres bénéficient d’un peu d’aide mais pas tous. Alors, pour survivre, il faut trouver des solutions. En faisant par exemple usage des techniques modernes de communication. 

Ainsi, l’Old Vic, situé à une quinzaine de minutes à pied du National Theatre, a créé une nouvelle série de pièces baptisées On Camera. Tout est dans le nom : le public achète sa place en ligne et reçoit un lien qui lui permet d’assister à la pièce via Zoom. Certes, cela ne vaut pas l’ambiance, l’odeur et l'agréable staff de la salle de la vieille bicentenaire mais c’est une façon comme une autre de retourner dans un lieu qui me manque. Et de retrouver un comédien pour lequel j’ai une affection toute particulière. 

Prévue au départ pour le mois d’août, Three Kings, écrite pour être interprétée par Andrew Scott, a été reportée suite à l’hospitalisation du comédien.  La patience est une vertu qui apporte bon nombre de récompenses. Ce fut définitivement le cas ici. 

Bien sûr, je me dois d’être honnête avec vous dès le départ. Ceux qui me connaissent savent très bien que je suis à présent capable de fort peu d’objectivité lorsque j’évoque Andrew Scott. Découvert comme bon nombre dans la série Sherlock, c’est suite à une rencontre inattendue que j’ai découvert son monde théâtral. L’énorme tendresse que je ressens toujours aujourd’hui pour The Dazzle (2015), jouée au défunt Found111, a créé une forme de contrat avec Scott : tu vas sur scène, je débarque de Belgique… Hamlet (2017) Sea Wall (2018), Present Laughter (2019) démontre à elles seules, avec leurs univers tellement différents, le « spectre » (oui, oui, c’est un jeu de mots volontairement choisi) théâtral de l’Irlandais.   

Three Kings est un seul en scène qui aborde les relations père-fils, dans toute leur complexité. La pièce se divise en trois actes, présentant plusieurs moments dans la vie de Patrick, le héros de l’histoire : l’enfance, où il rencontre son père pour la première fois, qui le met face à un défi à réaliser avec trois pièces, trois… Rois ; l’âge adulte, où il apprend la mort de son père par une de ses connaissances et, dans le dernier chapitre, la rencontre avec son demi-frère… Chaque volet de l’histoire apporte son lot de surprises, de désillusions et de conséquences sur la vie et la personnalité du notre personnage central. 

The Three Kings game...

La pièce montre la Vie sous un des aspects les plus durs : un enfant qui rencontre un père qu’il imagine affectueux dès leurs retrouvailles mais qui, au final, se soucie peu de ce fils qui s’avère être une épine dans le pied dont il faut vite se débarrasser pour s’enfuir loin. Le plus loin possible. Lorsque le fils arrive à le retrouver pour lui dire qu’il a réussi le défi des trois Rois, c’est une nouvelle déception qui l’attend. La suite ne sera finalement que claques en plein visage pour le jeune Patrick. 

Malgré un thème dont il est difficile de rire, quelques doses d’humour et de sarcasme viennent se glisser entre les lignes du texte écrit par Stephen Beresford, permettant au public de n’en apprécier que plus le moment passé avec Scott. 

Lors de l’heure passée en sa compagnie, l’Irlandais exprime différentes émotions liées aux événements. Dans le premier volet, son regard et ses postures donnent naissance à l’enfant qu’il doit être. Par la suite, on le verra successivement nous offrir un Patrick surpris, déçu, fâché… On le verra aussi donner naissance à d’autres personnages, pour créer les échanges que Patrick a avec eux. Il sera le seul « ami » de son père, il sera Trisha, tenancière d’un bar ayant bien connu son père ; il sera son demi-frère qui, nouvelle claque, porte le même prénom que lui, comme si son père avait voulu oublier jusqu’à son existence... Au bout du compte, notre héros finira la pièce à fleur de peau. Comme moi. Qui aura vécu cette heure à du 200%. 

Comme évoqué plus haut, le confinement des théâtres a obligé ces derniers à être inventifs. Matthew Warchus, directeur artistique de l’Old Vic depuis 2015 et metteur en scène de Three Kings, a donc ici dû oublier toute mise en scène classique et trouver un moyen d’atteindre son public de manière différente. Andrew Scott est ainsi sur la scène de l’Old Vic mais, probablement pour la seule fois de notre vie, nous sommes avec lui sur cette scène et voyons en arrière-plan… les sièges de la salle, tous vides. Comme pour nous rappeler un bref moment le désastre culturel qui est en train de se jouer depuis plusieurs mois. Trois angles de caméra pour trois périodes différents. Pour trois rois. 

Matthew Warchus nous accueille à l'Old Vic...

Trois Rois qu’ont été Andrew Scott, pour sa magistrale interprétation ; Stephen Beresford, pour la justesse et l’équilibre parfait de son écriture et Matthew Warchus, pour le défi de mise en scène à coups de caméras et de connexions à distance relevé haut la main. Après Pride, superbe film sorti en 2014, il était agréable de retrouver ces trois-là sur un projet. Nul doute qu’ils arriveront à se retrouver pour de nouvelles aventures, dont je me réjouis déjà. 

Il y a deux jours, Andrew Scott était interviewé par Dermot O’Leary sur la scène de l’Old Vic à propos de sa vie de comédien, du théâtre, de Three Kings et de cette période un peu particulière que nous traversons. Il a notamment dit que « c’est au théâtre que l’on éprouve des frissons » et que « nous comptons sur l’art pour nous garder en vie » et qu’il trouvait extraordinaire que, malgré la pandémie, cette pièce démontrait qu’ « il y a une forme de communauté, même si nous sommes éloignés ». Il ne pouvait pas taper plus juste puisque pour ces cinq représentations, des habitants de 72 pays se sont connectés à leur PC, leur télévision, leur tablette... pour y assister. 

Dermot O'Leary et Andrew Scott

Le théâtre est une famille pour ses comédiens. Elle l’est aussi pour ceux qui aiment s’installer dans les sièges de ces théâtres pour y vivre des émotions. Comme Patrick l’a expérimenté, l’alchimie familiale fonctionne parfois de manière mystérieuse… Mais pour moi, ce soir, l’alchimie familiale Scott-Beresford-Warchus était belle et bien là, sur scène, dans toute sa splendeur. Merci messieurs ! 

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L’Old Vic est un théâtre qui ne bénéficie pas de subsides du gouvernement anglais. Les ventes de billets sont donc leur principal revenu pour donner vie aux pièces mais également pour payer leur personnel, entretenir le bâtiment et travailler sur des projets avec la jeunesse et la communauté théâtrale. Pour faire une donation, il vous suffit de cliquer ICI. 

Bien entendu, la situation est tout aussi problématique pour de nombreux théâtres, centres culturels, ASBLs… dans d’autres pays. N’hésitez donc pas à aider ces derniers si vous le pouvez, si vous le souhaiter. Chaque Euros, chaque Livres Sterling, chaque petite pièce peut faire une différence...

Images : © The Old Vic, 2020

 

Three Kings – The Old Vic (05/09/2020) ENGLISH

W.O.W. No I mean, really… WOW! Tonight was quite me receiving a bundle of emotions right in the face, my friends... 

Right now in Belgium, France, England and many other countries, it currently is a difficult time for the artistic world and culture in general... 

In London, the West End has now been closed for several months and is going through the most difficult period of its entire history. Some theaters get little help from government, but not all of them. In order to survive, these have to find solutions. Using modern communication is one of those. 

For example, The Old Vic, based at a 15-minute walk from the National Theater, has worked on a new creation called On Camera. The name says it all: people buy their ticket online and receive a link allowing them to watch the performance via Zoom. Of course, the atmosphere, smell and friendly staff of the old bicentennial venue is missing, but it’s just another and different way for me to come back to a place I miss. And another chance to see an actor for whom I have a very special affection perform again. 

Originally scheduled in August, Three Kings, written especially for Andrew Scott, has been postponed following the comedian’s hospitalization. Patience is a virtue that brings many rewards. This was definitely what happened here. 

Of course, I have to be honest with you from the very start. Those who know me well know that I am showing very little impartiality when it comes to Andrew Scott. I discovered him, like many of you, in the Sherlock series but it was after an surprising encounter that I found out about his theatrical world. The enormous tenderness I still feel today for The Dazzle (2015), played in the late Found111, gave birth to a form of contract with Scott: you go on stage, I leave Belgium for a London stay… Hamlet (2017) Sea Wall (2018), Present Laughter (2019) are pretty good demonstrations, with their very different universes, of the Irishman’s theatrical “spectre-um” (yes, it's a very deliberate pun…) 

Three Kings is a one-man play about father-son relationships, in all their complexity. The play is divided into multiple acts, presenting several moments in the life of Patrick, the main character of the story : childhood, where he meets his father for the first time, presenting him with a challenge to accomplish with three coins, three… Kings; adulthood, where he learns of his father's death from one of his acquaintances and, in the last chapter, a meeting with his half-brother… Each part of the story brings its surprises, disillusions and consequences on the life and personality of our central character. 

The Three Kings challenge... 

The play shows Life’s harshest sides: a child meeting a father for the first time for an - he thinks - affectionate conversation but who, in the end, cares little for this son who he sees as a thorn in his side he wants to get rid of quickly in order to run away. As far as he can. When his son phones him to say that he has find out about the Three Kings riddle, yet another disappointment awaits him. Resulting ultimately in a few slaps in the face for young Patrick. Again. 

 

Despite a theme not easy to laugh at, Stephen Beresford provides a few lines of humor and sarcasm between the lines of his text, allowing the audience to appreciate even more this moment spent with Scott. 

 

For an hour, the Irishman goes through different emotions depending on the events. In the first part, his gaze and postures give birth to the child he has to be at that moment. Subsequently, he will successively offer us a surprised, disappointed, angry version of Patrick… We will also see him bring other characters into reality, in order to create the interactions Patrick has with them. He will be his father’s only "friend", he will be Trisha, a bar owner who has known her father well; he will be his half-brother whom, again a slap, he shares a same first name, as if his father had wanted to forget he even existed... In the end, our hero will end on a thin-skinned line. Like me. Who have immersed myself in this play fully and completely. 

 

As mentioned above, the theaters’ closure has forced them to be inventive. Matthew Warchus, artistic director of The Old Vic since 2015 and director of Three Kings, therefore had to forget about any classic staging and find a way to reach audiences differently. Andrew Scott is on the Old Vic stage but - probably for the only time in our lives - we are with him on stage and sometimes see, in the background, the venue’s seats… all empty. As if he wanted to remind us for a brief moment the cultural disaster the UK has now been experiencing for several months. Three camera angles for three different time periods. For three kings. 

Matthew Warchus welcoming us in the Old Vic 

Three Kings... Andrew Scott, with his masterful performance; Stephen Beresford, for the accuracy and perfect balance of his writing and Matthew Warchus for this successful challenge of directing with cameras and Zoom connexions have shown they truly are kings of their own. After working together on Pride - the definitely worth seeing 2014 film - it was nice to have these three working on a new project. I have faith they will work together again in the future. And looking forward to this next project. 

 

Two days ago, Andrew Scott was interviewed by Dermot O’Leary on the Old Vic stage about his life as an actor, theatre, Three Kings and this special period of time we are going through. He mentioned that "theatre is where the thrill is", that "we rely on art to keep us alive and thrive" and that he found it extraordinary that, despite the pandemic, "there's community even though we're all apart." He could not have been more right as people from 72 different countries connected their laptop, TV, smartphones… to attend to these five performances. 

 

Dermot O'Leary and Andrew Scott

 

For actors, theatre is another version of family. People sitting in all these theatre seats also feel like they belong to a family. As Patrick experienced, family chemistry sometimes works in mysterious ways… But tonight, I thought the Scott-Beresford-Warchus family chemistry was indeed very much present on stage in all its glory. "One can be touched and moved. One can be touched but not moved. One can’t be touched and moved. " I was touched. And I was moved. So… Thank you gentlemen!

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The Old Vic does not receive funding from the British government. Ticket sales are therefore their main income to offer new plays to audiences but also to pay their staff, support their projects with youth and their community and, basically, keep the building open. If you want to make a donation, all you need to do is click HERE.

 

Of course, the situation is just as problematic for many theaters, cultural centers, non-profit organizations... in other countries. So do not hesitate to help them if you can, if you wish to help. Every Euro, every Pound, every little coin can make a difference.

 

All pictures : © The Old Vic, 2020

Le Champ de Bataille – Centre Culturel de Huy (10/12/2019)

Vous êtes parents et avez des ados ? Allez voir la pièce.

Vous n’êtes pas parents et voulez avoir des enfants ? Allez voir la pièce.

Vous ne voulez pas avoir d’enfants ? Allez voir la pièce.

Bref. Allez. Voir. La. Pièce.

Le Champ de Bataille, c’est l’histoire d’un homme qui mène quatre combats à la fois : celui de sa relation avec ses enfants, celui de sa relation avec sa femme, celui du temps qui passe et celui… face à l’enseignement. Bref, la vie est un sacré put*** de combat où on se sent attaqué de toutes parts!

La pièce est une adaptation du second roman de Jérôme Colin où l’on retrouve le héros d’Éviter les Péages avec des enfants ont un peu grandi, un couple toujours debout malgré les heurts du temps qui s’écoule mais qui reste parfois dépassé par les événements. Un homme qui ne lâche pas pour autant prise et qui s’accroche.

J’avais adoré le premier roman de l’animateur de La Première et de l’émission Hep Taxi !, lu dans une période un peu douloureuse, et avais dévoré le second avec tout autant de voracité que son prédécesseur. Le méli-mélo d’émotions du narrateur associé à quelques phrases et moments de vie percutants ont fait que je me suis rapidement attachée à ce héros malheureux, dont j’attends avec impatience les prochaine aventures. Donc… fallait assurer parce que ce bonhomme sans nom, j’y tiens ! Pas question d’éprouver le même désappointement que l’on ressent à quasi chaque adaptation d’un roman de Stephen King. Bon, ici, le but n’est pas de terrifier le spectateur mais… vous avez saisi l’idée.

Alors ?

Et bien, Thierry Hellin donne vie à ce personnage de plume via un long monologue et à lui seul, il tient le public en haleine durant nonante minutes. Une prestation à saluer, notamment en raison de son impressionnante présence scénique et d’une voix qui accroche. Enfin, « des » voix, plutôt, puisqu’il incarne à lui seul une impressionnante galerie de personnages.

Le travail réalisé par Denis Laujol sur Le Champ de Bataille est également à souligner, tant au niveau de l’adaptation de la pièce que de sa mise en scène. D’une part, il a su retranscrire les 207 pages du roman en conservant leur substance, déjà un tour de force en soi. D’autre part, il nous offre sur scène… un WC, refuge du héros face à au monde extérieur, mais met en évidence d’autres éléments essentiels de la narration grâce à des techniques scéniques intéressantes.

Pour l’occasion, c’était le Centre de Huy qui accueillait la pièce et au vu du nombre de retours sur scène de Thierry Hellin, les presque 600 personnes présentes ont visiblement apprécié ce Champ de Bataille !

Quoi ? Et moi, dans le fond, qu’en ai-je pensé ? Ah écoutez… Voir Thierry Hellin se débattre avec ce gamin, entré dans l’adolescence à coups de grommellements et de portes qui claquent, est délicieux. Le voir affronter ce proviseur de l’enseignement général, malheureusement pas autant cliché qu’on le voudrait, a certainement été un de mes moments préférés. J’attendais  la réplique « Goebbels », je l’ai savourée comme on savoure une glace en été (A vous d’aller découvrir cette petite ligne page 189 du livre, elle vaut son pesant d’or !) Parce que si vous pensez, en lisant les lignes précédentes, avoir affaire à un personnage déprimé et déprimant, vous vous tromperiez : Le Champ de Bataille contient aussi une belle série de moments drôles. Notamment parce que certains d’entre eux – principalement liés à l’école - me rappellent autant un vécu vieux de 25 ans que celui que j’expérimente encore régulièrement de par mon « vrai » métier. Et puis, moi, le mariage des genres, s’il est bien finement orchestré, j’approuve !

Je ne vous donnerais qu’un seul conseil : si vous comptez aller voir la pièce, ne lisez pas le livre peu de temps avant d’aller la voir. Lisez-le maintenant et laissez faire le temps jusqu’au moment où vous irez à la représentation… Vous passerez ainsi deux bons moments : un dans votre tête avec le livre en main puis un avec vos yeux avec Thierry Hellin devant vous.

G à D : Denis Laujol, Thierry Hellin et Jérôme Colin

Tiens… maintenant que j’y pense…

J’ai oublié une option dans mon début d’article. Eh toi là… T’es un ado et tu trouves tes parents ch… ? Sors de ta chambre et va voir la pièce. Tu pourrais bien les découvrir sous un autre œil.

Bref. Va. Voir. La. Pièce.

Et… NON TU N’AURAS PAS UN NOUVEL iPHONE SI TU VAS LA VOIR !

BOULET, VA ! (Bah ouais, c’est pas parce que t’as 15 ans que t’as le monopole de l’insulte !)

Les prochaines représentations du Champ de Bataille auront lieu au Centre Culturel d’Uccle, les 2, 3 et 4 avril 2020. Pour réserver, c’est ici.  

Jérôme Colin est aux commandes de l’émission Entrez Sans Frapper du lundi au vendredi sur La Première et emmène des personnalités dans son taxi sur la RTBF avec Hep Taxi !.  

Thierry Hellin sera sur la scène du Théâtre des Martyrs du 29/01/2020 au 15/02/2020 avec La putain respectueuse | La putain irrespectueuse.

Denis Laujol met en scène Zenel Laci dans Fritland au Centre Culturel d'Uccle le 3 février 2020 et Marie-Aurore d'Awans dans Pas Pleurer à la Maison de la Culture Famenne Ardenne le 7 février 2020. Il aura aussi d’autres nombreux projets pour l'année, notamment au Théâtre de Poche. Gardez les yeux bien ouverts ! ;)

The Son – Duke of York's (31/08/2019) ENGLISH

Sometimes, it takes two times to realize even more than it just takes one second to…

But let’s not put the cart before the horse, all right? And the difficult thing here will be to convince you to go to Duke of York’s to see The Son without giving too much away. Maybe the best way is to do this through feelings. And that’s exactly what The Son is about. Feelings.

The story is about Nicolas, a teenage boy – played by Laurie Kynaston - going through the divorce of his parents with a troubled mind, to say the least. And, we, the audience, are joining this family as a discreet witness of what will end up being a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

The play starts with a conversation between Nicolas’ parents: Anne, the mother (Amanda Abbington), tells Pierre, the father (John Light), that she’s concerned about their son as he’s been skipping school for three months. From there and for a while, the mother leaves their son in care of his father, his step-mother (Amaka Okafor) and half-brother and we follow Nicolas through his new life in another home.

Amanda Abbington (Anne), Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) & John Light (Pierre)

It’s a common thing to say that teenage years are not the easiest one has to go through in his or her life. For both sides. The “child” starts writing the new chapter of his life while the parents have to learn to let their baby boy or girl takes the path to adulthood.

But sometimes, writing your story is a little bit more difficult for some.

Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas)

                             

For 105 minutes, I literally tried to enter inside each character’s mind and put myself into their shoes.

As a child, trying to explain to your parents how bad you feel while not being entirely sure that they actually care.

As a parent, trying to understand your son while not being entirely sure that all he’s telling you he the absolute truth.

As a mother-in-law, trying to trust and getting to know this young stranger while not being entirely sure that he even wants it.

The play may seem dark but there’s a fine balance with lighter moments too. One few sentences that makes you smile or laugh or one scene where Nicolas seems to escape his melancholy to join his father and Sofia in a joyful moment. Director Michael Longhurst brought his own balance of fun and fragility by using two songs: Pharrell Williams’ Happy and the famous Adagio in G minor, the latter one being, in my opinion, one of the most emotional pieces of classical music ever written. And these two were perfect choices!

People have praised Laurie Kynaston’s performance, for all good reasons. Being the catalyst of all things happening during the play, he’s the one whose emotions affect not only him but everyone around him. Quite a pressure, eh? But it surely doesn’t look like too much to handle for the young actor who embodies his character with passion and respect for those suffering from the same pain as Nicolas’. Kynaston’s is definitely someone we have to keep our eyes on as I have a strong feeling he might have a bright career ahead of him…

Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas)

His relationship with his father, played by John Light, is not an easy one. Pierre navigates between his wish to help his son the best he can and his will to keep his life with Sofia and their baby serene. Our society still too often sees men as the strong one in the family, the one who’s supposed to know what to do or all the answers. Truth is… men are, just as much as women, just human beings filled with flaws, doubt or any other feelings. Pierre’s role is demanding one given the many emotions he goes through and John Light’s performance was truly strong and powerful.

John Light (Pierre) & Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas)

I read not too long ago on some blog that Amanda Abbington and Amaka Okafor were considered as secondary roles of the story. It’s funny how we all perceive things differently. To me, they’re not, not even for a second. To me, stage time isn’t what makes a role a principal or a secondary one : what makes the importance of a character is what he or she brings to the story, to the emotional moments in a play. In this, both Amanda and Amaka sure… well… sure “played” their own part and brought life to Zeller’s play, as well as a dynamic. Into both the father and the son’s stories. In their own way.  

Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) & Amanda Abbington (Anne)

John Light (Pierre) & Amaka Okafor (Sophia)

I had already seen The Son back in March at the Kiln theatre and recently had the opportunity to see it a second time. There are so many plays and musicals in London that one could think that it’d be a waste of time but I had my reasons. Until the very end, you wonder what’s written in the final page of Nicolas’ book. You hope for the best and you fear the worst. And you literally hold your breath until the lights fade out. And both times, in complete darkness, I’ve heard the people around me catching their breath again.

What did I feel after seeing it at the Kiln? So much sadness. Let’s admit it, I was a complete wreck and couldn’t stop crying. Which is exactly what I want when going to the theatre. Feel. Whether it is joy or anger or sadness.

What did I feel after seeing it at the Duke of York’s? Still so much sadness. With another feeling added. Helplessness. As much as I was looking for hints, for something that would have turned this story into a different one, I realized that maybe one thing could have. Or maybe it would have been a waste of time anyway, no matter what. Or… maybe?

In the end, that’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned after seeing this play: the helplessness and loneliness one person can feel when suffering from mental illness and the helplessness those around him feel about wanting to help the loved one and still not succeeding in it. Like two different worlds that can’t meet at any point.

Laurie Kynaston (Nicolas) & John Light (Pierre)

Florian Zeller, The Son’s writer, is considered as one of the most exciting and talented playwright of his generation. I couldn’t agree more. The strength of The Son lies in our biggest fears being out in the open, in some good use of humour but mostly in the subtlety of his writing. His words, his lines encourage us to ask ourselves : how would I feel about this “outside” world if I feel like I don’t fit in it? What would I have done as the mother? As the father? Why?

Now you, yes, you who are reading these lines, just give The Son a try (or two?) and let me know. Let me know if, when leaving the theatre, you just got home without asking yourselves a few questions about life. About Pierre’s. About Anne’s. About Sofia’s. about Nicolas’. About one of your loved ones’. Or about… yours? ‘Cos I sure did. And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve loved The Son so much. Enough to see it twice.

Amaka Okafor (Sophia)

The Son is still played at Duke of York’s theatre until November 2nd.

Tickets -> https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-son/duke-of-yorks/ 

Credit photo: Marc Brenner

Links :

• The Son Instagram
• The Son Twitter
• Duke of York’s Twitter
• Marc Brenner’s Instagram and website

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui – Donmar Warehouse (01/05/2017) ENGLISH

Back in London for a few days means… theatre moments to add to my “little book of life”. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Guards at the Taj and Obsession were some of those. If Obsession didn’t reach out my expectations, I can only encourage you to go to Harold Pinter theatre to see Imelda Staunton, Conleth Hill, Imogen Poots and Luke Treadaway before they leave the stage in the care of Andrew Scott and his companions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

As for Guards at the Taj, no famous names (yet?) on the stage of Bush stage but… another fine piece of art: ‘only’ two actors (Darren Kuppan and Danny Ashok) on a minimalistic stage, driven by words of Rajiv Joseph and directed by Jamie Lloyd. Even though it was the second time I was seeing the play, it turned out to be as moving and breath taking as the first day. The friendship between the characters is both the funniest and the saddest I’ve ever seen, given the story. Not to mention that Lloyd’s adaptation was also the first one ever done in Europe.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is also a first on its own. As the story goes by, you realize that there’s more than meets the eye, just like I found out during that preview performance of Bertold Brecht’s masterpiece on May, 1^st.

Artuto Ui is set in the USA during the Prohibition… with a personal touch from Brecht since the play is in fact a satire of the Nazi system and its sadly well-known leader. Just like Charlie Chaplin with The Dictator, Brecht saw things coming from afar and was eventually forced to flee Germany to spare his family’s lives as well as his own. Written in less than a month, the play describes the ascension of a – let’s admit it - not so bright gangster until his – sort of – investiture.

Lenny Henry as Arturo Ui

As we enter the famous Donmar Warehouse stage, I’ve already got a smile on my face: looks like we’ll feel like we’re part of the set…. again. In the stalls area, chairs and tables had been put and staff members came ahead of us to take us to our seat. Making the audience feel close to the actors and the action is one of Simon Evans’ – the director – very specific touch that I’ve always loved. He had previously used that technique in both The Dazzle and Fool for Love and I was curious to find out what he could do once outside the Found 111 theatre.

Well… this time… he took his favourite game to the next level. A very VERY high level that makes me wonder what he’ll surprise his audience with next time. Given what I’ve experienced tonight, be sure I’ll be there to see that…

Lucy Ellinson as Manny

While everyone is being seated, some actors are already on set, talking, arguing… until one of them comes to our corner, introducing himself as Manny, and asks us for a favour later in the evening : just raise our hand to stand as witnesses on his behalf. I smiled at the idea of being of any help in the ‘action’.

In fact, many people in the audience helped the comedians on stage during the 2 hours and a half-ish: sometimes with a gesture, sometimes with a word, sometimes by staying on their seat, sometimes by literally being in the centre of the stage with the cast. One man ended up being the defendant on a trial. I glanced at the woman who was with him and she smiled all the time. She could indeed be proud as he played his part juuuust right. I’ve never seen a play with so many audience people involved and this is definitely much more fun than being an outside observant.

And it will turn out to be one of those lessons learned during the evening. Don’t stare. Act. Do something. But you’ll get my point later, I’m sure.

It appears to me that it must also be fun for the actors to interact each night with a different audience… leading, at times, to funny moments.

At one point, people are given the choice of standing up or… not. If not, you have to take your chair at the centre of the stage and sit back on it. That evening, a woman’s voice was heard from the back of the room: our chairs don’t move!, leading to a collective laugh… and an improvisation from Manny who offered her a very-much-not-attached-to-the-ground chair.

No worries though if you’re seated in the circle area… you’ll have your part to play as well.

During the whole performance, we are taken for a ride with Mr laugh and Mrs fear. As an example, there’s a scene where Arturo Ui hires an actor to improve his speech skills as well as his bearing. That scene, the interaction between the actors – as well a piece of underwear (sometimes, it’s all in the little details, eh!) - is truly hilarious. Then… you realize that some gestures are still – and will always be – present in everyone’s minds as a reminder of something evil and scary.

Tom Edden (the actor) and Lenny Henry (Arturo Ui)

Major praises have to be given to the cast for their performance. Or… performanceS. If Lenny Henry (Arturo Ui), Lucy Ellinson (Emmanuele ‘Manny’ Giri), Guy Rhys (Giuseppe Givola) and Giles Terera (Ernesto Roma) play major parts and therefore brilliantly stay in character during the whole play, the rest of the cast comes and goes as different characters – sometimes up to 5 - without any trouble…

Lucy Eaton (Dockdaisy) and Lenny Henry (Arturo Ui)

But our cast does not only act. They also… sing. But do not worry, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is no musical though. Being a music addict (after all, this blog is initially a musical one), I could only be happy to find a few music notes here and there. All our comedians show us their best voice: from 1913’s Irish traditional Oh Danny Boy to the very recent Rag’n’Bone Man’s Human, I identified 11 songs from different decades and music styles… Gloria Obianyo’s rendition of Human and Praise You were just perfect and I give special hats off to Lucy Ellinson for that surprising difference between her gangster voice and her singing voice!

Gloria Obianyo (Flake)

Directing, staging, acting, singing… thinking that’d be all? Nope. Other credits have to be given to the costumes team (Yvonne Milnes) and the lighting designer (Howard Harrison). The latter does an amazing job given the number of actors and constant energy level on the set and has a talent to… erm… highlight the cast.

Tom Edden (Announcer)

Thinking about it, I realized that even if I 100% knew what to do when we were given the choice to stand up or stay seated, I had – earlier – raised my hand to help a character that’d play an important part in the rise of Arturo Ui. But hey, after all… it’s just a play.

But… is it really? Over the last few months, it has seemed to me that the world is changing. Two times I woke up on a Monday morning only to find out something I never imagined happening had actually happened. UK’s Brexit vote and – much worse – Trump becoming President.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui was written 76 (!) years ago but it has never been THAT actual. And I probably can’t write a better or more brilliant conclusion than Bruce Norris’ one in his 2017 adaptation of Brecht’s masterpiece.

Because that night at Donmar was in fact all that. Sure, tonight there was a play at Donmar but not just a play. Tonight wasn’t a hint at Hitler. It was a hint at something, at someone much closer, very much more in the present time. At someone who says that his country – as Arturo said for himself – “needs a wall” and who’s “gonna make this country great again”! 

Let me write Norris’ words for you:

“The moral of the story, so to speak,

Is sometimes you can’t turn the other cheek

We faced a fucker once like this before

We came together, fought a bloody war.

And yes, that time we won. But who can say

What me might do if he came back today?

Or… could it be that he’s already here?

Two thousand sixteen: what a shitty year.

We vote them into power, then we wonder

How me made such a catastrophic blunder.

It looks as if we’re fighting once again,

So fingers crossed, and hopefully, we’ll win –

But even if we do, one thing’s for certain:

There’ll always be another.”

Arturo Ui shook me. Much. I guess that’s why, once that final monologue pronounced, I dropped my pen on the table and my hand started shaking and I was holding back tears. 2016 was sure as shitty year but as France’s new President is about to be elected on this May 8^th, I’m nothing but terrified at the potential outcome of a blonde extremist becoming President. Next Monday, I’ll surely think back on that night at the Donmar, no matter what the outcome is. And feel relieved. Or worried.

Let’s ask ourselves if a change of power is really the thing we need. To me, it’s not. It’s not worth the risk of possibly going through what our grandparents (or great grandparents) – not to mention anyone who was just ‘different’ from some medieval thinkers’ standards - went through 70 years ago. Not again.

So… no. That night, I decided not to stand for Ui and remained seated and would do it again. I’ll say “no!” to him and his gangster fellas. But if you, my friend, are asked by someone if you want to see The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, just say yes and go because THAT is worth it. The only risk is that you may end up on a West end stage as a junior actor. And also – very much important - feel free to stand up. But only to applause that amazing cast, an inventive director and all the people involved in Arturo Ui for their incredible work.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui – From April 21^st  to June 17^th 2017 (Donmar Theatre)

Photo credits (except last one) : Helen Maybanks (Thanks Samantha!)

Links :

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui : https://www.donmarwarehouse.com/production/192/ 

Donmar Warehouse: https://www.donmarwarehouse.com/