Show: The Child in Make-up

Lalevade-d'Ardèche, Ardèche

Opening : Saturday 26 September 2026.

---

Songs for bistros and cabarets. A cabaret format devised for an audience seated around tables laden with glasses. From one of the tables in this cabaret, a man cuts through the hubbub, breaks down the barriers and speaks to strangers.

This evening, he came down from his magnificent, secluded terrace to mingle with the crowd. He breaks away from his cherished solitude to find comfort in the warmth of the night-time gathering.
From there, he ventures to make contact and confides a part of what drove him to take refuge here: his fear of death. Once the confession is made, we can invite ourselves to share a drink and become friends for the evening. We bond, and through this man, we tell each other where we come from; we sing almost alongside him. The ‘other’ is us. The intoxication rises and lightens our spirits; we gain a sense of detachment, humour and also depth: we then share the violence, the danger we’ve faced, the lost meaning and the ravaged lands, the adventures, the loves. We drink, we sing. We laugh at ourselves. A sense of calm takes hold. We don’t believe in God, but a peculiar impulse suddenly draws us into re-enchanting the world, restoring its mystery and power. So, for want of anything better and to pluck up courage, we sing one last song for the patron saint of the stateless, and we finally turn – confident, open and joyful – towards that new, unknown and splendid territory that the great departure will open up. Fear is still there, yes, but it has changed colour. Texts by Bernard Dimey. Chloé Sarrat: director. Acting: Pascal Papini. Piano: Serge Besset.

---