Life is a Cabaret

Every evening since May 10th, the legendary cabaret “Le Tabou” comes to life, the place to be in post-war Saint-Germain-des-Près, now nestled amongst some 1970s blocks in the 13th arrondissement. Thanks to the magic of Théâtre 13 and its faultless programming– the terrific play Le porteur de l’histoire came there direct from the Avignon festival last year – as soon as you come through the doors, you know you have hit on a gem of a place, with its tables outside to picnic at or snack on a quiche from the “existential” bar! Here you are welcomed into the company of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Prévert, Françoise Sagan and co – suffice to say all the key players-  which the 14 actors bring bouncing back to life with undeniable talent, bringing the audience under their spell. It’s impossible to resist this tornado of energy, with treasures like a high-octane duet carried out by two pairs of dancing fingers, all the while inviting you to sing along, if not join them on stage! The main thing of course is that they have incredible voices, all the more important as the show is almost all in song…Johnny fait moi mal, Summertime, J’suis snob, Le déserteur, the 1950s hits roll out while they smoke or bicker, with “Zazie” straight out of the metro, dishing out this put down to poor “Juliette Gréco”: “Is the pout deliberate, or can you not help yourself?” Put it this way, it’s an immensely enjoyable way to spend an evening revisiting a potted history of “ideas” and a time when you could smoke as much as you liked at a cabaret…

AW

La bande du Tabou, at Théâtre 13 at 8.30pm

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