I have recently moved to France to work as an English language assistant in primary schools in a lovely little town called St Amand Montrond in the Cher department of France. At university in London I study French and Drama so I am really excited to see what this town has to offer in terms of entertainment.
On my first Saturday here, I decided to go and see a comedy that was on at the local theatre, ‘Théâtre Carrosserie Mesnier’. I was not really sure what to expect of the theatre and how different it would be to those in England. The theatre was in a converted barn and there was a beautiful courtyard full of fairy lights. Inside the theatre was quite small as it only had a hundred seats, I was lucky to get one of the last tickets for the performance.
Now for the show, it was a one-woman show called ‘L’odyssée musicale de Rosie Volt’ which translates into English as ‘The musical odyssey of Rosie Volt’. This show was very different from a traditional comedy. It was based around different languages and how they originate from sounds of animals, cue lots of animal noises. The main character ‘Rosie’ was crazy, dressed in gold boots and a bright red dress, she looked like a clown. Her lack of common sense made the show ridiculous as she got tangled in the microphone leads and by the end of show she had broken the microphone and the guitar.
Another element to the show was the relationship between the sound/lighting technician and ‘Rosie’. He was trying to help her but she scared him away with her vicious personality. The show ended with an awkward love ballad between the two with lyrics such as ‘Rosie’: ‘I am all alone in the world’ to which the technician responded ‘you are not alone’. The show had the audience in fits of laughter and pleased adults and children alike. At the start of the performance I was a bit unsure of what to expect but the chaotic and shocking nature of the show made it quite entertaining and funny.
This show was different to many comedies I have seen before but it still had me in stitches of laughter. I wonder what else French comedy has left to show me. I will keep you posted!
What do you think makes a good comedy?
