You continue with this Marc-Gilbert Sauvajon play that you staged with your ensemble in 2012. Why?
Pierre Palmade: I made a “gay” version of him at the request of one of my actors, Jean Leduc at the time. He did such a good job, people were running around to see him. Also, when France 2 went out to tender, I said to them, “Let me find a partner and offer you the game Treize à table. “I thought of Isabelle Mergault first, but she turned down the offer because there was no time. So I turned to Virginie Hocq.
Do you know him?
Not exactly. I discovered a talented and above all a hardworking artist. He had a bear to prepare the game. Today she knows him better than me. There is a real tornado on stage. You needed an actress full of enthusiasm and energy to play my playmate Madeleine Villardier in this twisty vaudeville. And Virginie is not missing either.
What do you think determines the quality of this piece?
He has a totally crazy mechanic. The character Madeleine can’t help but be thirteen at the table on Christmas Eve. Depending on adventures and last-minute retreats, guests find themselves at twelve, then fourteen, or even fifteen, and inevitably fall into the fateful trick. The audience is captivated, the actions continue to count.
But there is something outdated about the room, very 50’s, the Left Bank bourgeoisie of Paris doesn’t look like that anymore…
I made a lot of cuts and re-adapted a bit to give it more rhythm. At the same time, the spirit of the boulevard is always based on a bourgeois family head that befell all disasters. Even though it’s Madeleine, it’s where the stones fall… It also reminds me of South America, the 50’s… I wanted to keep the piece in its essence, the language is beautiful! There’s also this pervasive nostalgia. we are all orphans somehowat the theater tonightBy Pierre Sabbagh.
13 à Table: Tuesday, December 13, 21:05, France 2
Interview by Hacène Chouchaoui in 2020
Source: Programme Television
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
