Philippe Houbert and Daniel Mourgues return to the Caudan Arts Centre stage from May 16 with Eric Assous’ latest play, Inavouable, created by Michel Leeb and Véronique Jannot in 2019. “This text is a jewel that’s played out down to the last comma,” they tell us just before a rehearsal, “a comedy for four with a few cumbersome family secrets…”. These show freaks have been touring Parisian theatres for years, sometimes crossing the Channel or the Atlantic to see some Anglo-Saxon creation. For them, a good comedy is above all well-written and well-acted. They spare no expense in rehearsals and are delighted to find new actors and an ever-younger audience for each play.
Yousoof Elahee, who created Moustouf, le bon petit gars qui sème la pagaille, also wrote the plays Bel mère Bel fille and Ayo mo fami! For him, the secret is to hold up a slightly distorting mirror… “You have to be careful. You have to be careful because we have a very susceptible audience here ,” he explains. “We say on stage what people are thinking, and we say it very loudly and without any ulterior motive. Of course, we talk about society, but we must never forget that it’s entertainment… We don’t have any taboo subjects, but we have to know how not to hurt people, we often use suggestion to say otherwise what wouldn’t come across with words… Mauritian comedy is very gestural in fact.”
While her Komedy Art Club is running more than ever at Belle Rose, Miselaine Duval is also getting ready to celebrate forty years in the business, in a major show to which she will invite Monique, the double born of a too-long Canadian confinement… Our very own Sarah Bernhardt can boast, without sycophancy, of having invented a Mauritian comedy thatcontinues year after year to win over a loyal audience. The only woman in the theater to have salaried a troupe over the long term, she applies to the letter the sacred principle of… respect. “Our comedies make us laugh at our shortcomings by exploring the realities of life. Our motto is laughing together to live better together! Our material is people, Mauritian society, and there’s always a moral at the end. Of course, the big laugh – the guy slipping on the banana peel – is part of the ingredients, but we take care to respect everyone and never cross the line into vulgarity. We must never forget the audience who come here as a family to have a good time… We tackle all subjects. Parables, gestures or simply the choice of words do the rest…”.