An Armchair For The Orchestra – The site of Parisian theatrical critics » So early already! after Karl Valentin, directed by Gatienne Engélibert, Théâtre Le Local

© SamJuan

ƒƒ Article of Sylvie Boursier

Do you know Karl Valentin this illustrious stranger? There ” yes-hear » does that speak to you? What about FixFix universal scouring powder? What are the benefits and harms of popular cafer, the popular blackish blue cockroach [..]who lives 6 to 4 weeks and mostly succumbs to an unnatural yet rapid death caused by the sole of a human shoe? »

Do you really care about all that? Mistake ! Valentin Ludwig Fey, alias Karl Valentin, was famous before the war in Munich cabarets for his unconventional sketches that mocked the ordinary madness of his fellow Bavarians. Precursor of Devos, cousin of Groucho Marx and the great Buster, contemporary of Chaplin, he died in total anonymity. And yet his comic verve blasts red tape, the absurdity of a technology that drives you crazy, the trappings of marketing, language tics and homophonies of all stripes.

The Compagnie du Frêne had the good idea of ​​composing a burlesque fantasy in 16 scenes from 12 texts by the author, an anthology that shows the variety of talent of this key to any handyman.

In the Frêne family there is first François Accard, breadboard who never smiles and masters the art of the Keatonian drop. With his acolyte, René Hernandez, chubby and very jovial, they pass the buck and play contrast as a comic spring, accompanied by an impassive pianist Blaise Pavie who condescends to dance the madison at intermission while Laetitia Leroy accompanies him. distributes sweets, cold coffee and soup accordingly. Gatienne Engélibert’s chiseled staging is as precise as a Swiss clock against a backdrop of Dadaist bric-a-brac; the objects move off, pitch on a drunken boat and the two accomplices try to control their environment made of clotheslines, three crates, a birdcage, a few skilfully arranged boards on which perch bulbs, hats and ties.

We are not about to forget the imaginary lecture of this Professor Nimbus on ordinary pests who ends up wrapped in flypaper and valiantly continues his demonstration while the slides of the said pot-bellied specimens are projected. Also unforgettable is the pantomime of an exasperated printer who desperately tries to reach the right department while a pre-recorded tape-off delivers the usual formulas to him, ” you need help press the 2 key”. The elastic actor goes into a tailspin when confronted with this machine which tries to recognize a sequence of significant words. ” The language of wood is inedible” said Raymond Devos, except when she gets carried away in surreal puns:

1. – “ Ah well, today you have time? So come with me.
2. – Where ?
3. – Anywhere.
4. – Oh, I’ve been there! »

Don’t get me wrong, Karl Valentin is more than just an entertainer, some moments are chilling, even death doesn’t end conflicts of interest.

This musical fantasy revives the spirit of the trestles, which shows the eternally neglected, the people of small trades, grinders, second-hand goods dealers, barkers, herbalists. Playable in non-dedicated spaces, this cabaret adapts to (almost!) all places: media library, café, gallery, garden, etc.

We live in a crazy world and the jokes of our comedians are often appallingly stupid, all the more reason to declare this delightful cocktail of public utility. Bertold Brecht said of Valentin ” This man is a bloody joke. He shows us the relationship between placidity, stupidity and the joys of existence.not bad is not it ? So early already, without special effects or smoky artifices will delight young and old, yes yes! run there!

© SamJuan

So early already after Karl Valentin in a translation by Jean Jourdeuil, theatrical editions.

Directed by: Gatienne Engélibert

Lighting: Colas Reydellet

Scenography: Claire Thevenin

Piano: Blaise Pavie or Gabriel Levasseur

Acting: François Accard, René Hernandez, Gatienne Engélibert, Laetitia Leroy

Duration: 1h30

From November 11 to 28, 2022

Friday at 8:30 p.m., Saturday and Monday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 5 p.m.

The Local Theater

18 rue de l’Orillon

75011 Paris

Reservation: 01 46 36 11 89

www.le-local.net