Of Germaine Tillon. Staged by Claudine Van Below With Solène Angeloni, Angeline Bouille, Isabelle Desmeros, Barbara Galtier, Claudine Van Beneden, Raphaël Fernandez, Grégoire Beranger. At Smoking Dog Theater To 10:30 a.m of July 7 to 29 (break on Wednesdays).
After discovering this operetta, written by Germain Tillion, by random purchases of paperback books on the subject, I never would have believed that someone would one day try to adapt it, so much its dark humor, ill-suited to a historical period approached rather with respect, prevented Germain Tillion from publishing it at the time. However, for the second year in a row, Compagnie Nosferatu took the gamble! There is no question here of approaching the subject of a comic operetta written in the camps from a historical point of view and of teaching the public how it was written. No places, except for a short voiceover at the beginning and at the end, to the explanations but rather an adaptation in every respect faithful to the writings of Tillion.
If the resistant author couldn’t finish her operetta, it’s not really a problem because the plot is not essential. The most important thing is the precision with which the author, also an ethnologist before being locked up, manages to explain the functioning of the concentration camp of Ravensbrueck. The first character presented is a German ethnologist who intends to present the Verfügbar race (the name of the operetta is The Verfügbar in the Underworldlisten)), which refer to women concentration camp workers who were not assigned to a specialized labor commando and who could be given all of the most arduous tasks of the camp. Then, we find several prisoners like Nénette, Titine, Lulu de Belleville, Marmotte, Havas who will serve as witnesses to everything that is said but who will also be those who will sing the songs written by Germain Tillion to inspire memories of songs from the era or tunes suggested by these fellow prisoners (who also actively participated in the creation of the work).
This is precisely what impresses when discovering this show: the precision of the operation of the camp, the sad characters who govern it and the black humor which has not aged a bit at present. In view of the quality of the texts, the songs, the situations, the gags, it is hard to believe that this comic opera could have been written in a camp in the midst of suffering. We realize to what extent the will of the author could have been a crazy act of resistance. The show, directed by Claudine Van Beneden, in addition to offering an unprecedented exercise in style, also succeeds in delighting the spectators with the talent displayed by the actresses and the musician who accompanies them. To discover urgently !
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