A GREAT PLAY AND A GREAT PERFORMANCE

Published on April 9 2014

A GREAT PLAY AND A GREAT PERFORMANCE

I frequently complain about life in Paris - the overcrowding on public transport, pollution and the rude behaviour of many of the inhabitants - but one thing I really like is the cultural side.

The museums are fantastic, the choice of films - recent releases and classic ones - is quite remarkable and the restaurants are rather good too!

I recently went to a production of Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" - and everything about it was excellent!

I vaguely knew the story - I haven't read it (yet) but my wife has frequently sung its praises - and so when a theatre association we know told us about their production, we of course jumped at the chance.

The theatre is located within the Bois de Vincennes – but there is a (free) shuttle-bus service from the nearest Metro station, so it was exceedingly easy to get there. Indeed, the smell of the trees and (after the performance) the fact that we could see all the stars that are normally hidden by the semi-permanent cloud of pollution in Paris added to the whole magic of the event.

The performance lasted just under three hours – given the size of the book, this too is quite an achievement – and the actors were fantastic. Full of the fire and passion associated with the Slavs of that time, they completely occupied the roles they were interpreting. The delicately selected Russian music, added much to the quality of the performance, as did the intriguing yet ingenious low-key stage decorations.

In short, it was a wonderful performance by a group of highly talented, gifted and generous actors.

And while I’m not quite ready to dive into the thousand-odd pages of the book, I look forward to going to see the play again.