Fugueuses: A Parisian Comedy with Line Renaud and Muriel Robin
Oscar E Moore from the rear mezzanine for Talk Entertainment.com
First off, Happy New Year to all of my faithful readers. And let’s hope there will be no more strikes and only wonderful theatrical events to be seen this coming season. Here and abroad.
One of the most exciting aspects of reviewing plays is that I can review them anywhere I happen to be. And this past Christmas I just happened to be in Paris where I had the extraordinary good luck and opportunity to meet with one of France’s top stars -Line Renaud - who is appearing with another star - the exceptionally droll Muriel Robin, in what could be called “a runaway hit” - FUGUEUSES. It closes January fifth but if you are lucky enough to be able to see Channel 2 on French Television you will be able to catch the closing night performance – direct (france2.fr) It is a must see. Despite the fact that I do not speak fluent French I could understand enough of the story – through action, audience reaction, and the most ingenious program devised ever to totally enjoy this wondrous comedy by Pierre Palmade and Christophe Duthron - who also directed the piece.
Two strangers meet on a highway. Both women. One older than the other. Both looking to hitch a ride to – anywhere. To escape. To run away. One from her family. The other from a nursing home. Each vying for the next available car. Thus begins FUGUEUSES – a terrific, witty, theatrical, warm hearted comedy. It is this oddest of couples journey that we go along for the ride – and what a funny and touching story it is about their growing and changing relationship to one another. The production is absolutely first rate. Line Renaud and Muriel Robin play off of each other with camaraderie akin to that of Laurel and Hardy. Audiences want to laugh these days. And these two deliver the goods. With absolute impeccable comic timing. They are both incredibly engaging but I have a special regard for and history with Line Renaud.
Line Renaud’s star has been shining for many years and everyone adores her. She is a singer. An actress. A comedienne. A humanitarian who has done much for SIDA - Aid’s Research. She is natural and charming and has a sparkle in her eye that is impossible to ignore or to forget. I must also mention her legs – which she is obviously very proud of. She headlined at the Casino de Paris and brought her review to Las Vegas. It was on the West Coast – Los Angeles to be exact – that a friend of mine was giving a party for her. It was there, thirty years ago that I first met her. Being American I did not even know who she was at the time. But we hit it off and stayed in touch for a while. Then last year, at a small dinner in Paris I was given a DVD – a documentary of her life on stage. Of course, I chimed in that I had met her. Everyone was extremely impressed.
I decided to write to see if she would remember. I still had the address and phone number she had given me in Los Angeles. But I did not hear from her. And so I Googled “Line Renaud” – you might want to do the same – sent her off an e-mail which was answered a few days before I left – with a request to call her once I got to Paris. Which I did. She graciously accepted my call. Busy though she was, I was offered two of the best seats at Le Theatre des Varietes for the Saturday matinee at 4:30 which was sold out. The two hundred year old theatre is magnificent. The play – formidable! - I loved it. And the best part was to come. I was invited backstage to speak with Line. She thanked me for the bouquet of flowers I had sent (all white – her favorite) and hoped that we wouldn’t wait another thirty years to see each other. With another performance that night and with the television special to think about and everything else that she had to do Line Renaud took the time to be gracious and welcoming to someone she hadn’t seen in such a long time. She is a very special lady.
www.linrenaud.com
www.murielrobin.com
www.talkentertainment.com
01-05-08
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