Festival off Theatre d’Avignon
You could see approximately 1,750 (different) plays in the three weeks from July 5th to 26th at the Avignon Theatre Festival. What a gigantic number! It’s truly difficult to choose. From classical theater to modern theater, dance, comedy, cabaret, and concerts, everything that can be put on a stage is there.
You could say: the whole city is a stage. The actors you see on stage can be met in the streets where they are promoting their performances. You get into conversation and learn a lot about the plays and the actors. I particularly remember a young actress who was in Avignon for the first time and only had one performance. It was a great opportunity to introduce herself to a larger audience, but also a lot of pressure because she only had that one performance. We would have loved to support her and attend her performance, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.
The city is full of people, yet you rarely feel cramped or overwhelmed by the crowds. The atmosphere is wonderful… very relaxed, full of good humor and joy. Masses of people who are in the city for the art. Everywhere, whether on the street, in a restaurant, or in a café, you strike up conversations with other visitors: „What did you see?“ „What did you like?“ „What can you recommend?“ Simply wonderful! A truly fantastic experience.
Posters advertising the plays you can see are hanging all over the city. A colorful spectacle… very beautiful, very lively.
Three days, nine plays is our summary. We saw some truly fantastic performances, great theater of high quality.
My favorite was „Roberto Zucco“ Loud, brutal, intense… Absolutely great theater.
„Macbeth“ was also a great play with a fantastic actor.
„La Frivole“ was undoubtedly entertaining, short-winded, and funny.
Not to forget the wonderful, expressive Lina Lamara in “Voyage à Napoli”
„Cyrano the Cigisait“ was also fantastic, full of power and intensity, but unfortunately, it was only performed in front of about 20 people. What a shame for the actors and the truly high-quality play, which undoubtedly deserved a full house.
While we found „Cyrano de Bergerac“ totally boring and bad. It reminded us of a school production. Very classical, lacking in spirit and lacking in any kind of staging. 2 hours, during which I spent at least 1.5 hours hoping it would be over quickly. But the theater was packed (and the applause at the end was loud), so packed that a large portion of the audience (including me) had to sit on emergency folding seats that were so uncomfortable that after a while, many of us were sitting on the floor on the steps. A total imposition.
Three days full of art, wit, and inspiration that passed so quickly, much too quickly. But hopefully, we’ll be back next year.
Finally, two restaurant tips:
„Le Goût du Jour“ a restaurant featured in several restaurant guides, with excellent cuisine, great wines, and still reasonable prices. A lunch menu, for example, costs €26.
V&G (Veggie&Gastro), a vegetarian restaurant with sensational cuisine. The culinary delights they bring to the table are incredible. A feast for the senses. I spontaneously offered to do a free internship in their kitchen. Just unbelievable!!!
28 Rue de la Bonneterie, tel: +33 4 90273797
