Day of swimming at a college in France. The English teacher, Mr. Pipota, assists exceptionally mr. monitor swimming. To this end, there is provided a rubber cap, which is certainly grotesque on his person but required by the rules of procedure of the indoor pool. The class’s pushing around his teacher, and the above mentioned Mr. Pipota falls in the water. That remains? Mr. censor of studies, a certain Saint-Exupéry, to conduct the investigation and confuse the attackers. Philippe Duclos, that we have seen at the cinema with Chabrol, Costa-Gavras, Tavernier and more recently in investigating judge in the series Gears (Canal+), embodies, to the tilt of eyebrow near, that bastard remarkable, attorney zealous that goes in a pin the incident, sniffs, stalking, flushes out the guilty. And as some hunters galinettes, which, for lack of thrushes, raise them in a cage to do their best to poke holes in the feathers.
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On the stage of the Roundabout, changed to the stage of the classroom, the teacher «acquisition of knowledge», played by the excellent Gregory Œstermann, serves as the lawyer. A lawyer well poor and helpless in the face of relentless repressive apparatus in motion.
The incident is instructed, the bad joke becomes attempted homicide and in the mouth of Saint-Exupéry’s words take on a whole other breath: «Sanction», «rectorate», «module teaching», «disciplinary commission»… Spoken by him, even the words «clown» and «jokers» are cold in the back.
The horrifying advent of the contemporary language
It will be understood, The classical Course , adapted from the novel by Yves Ravey, professor of visual arts at the college and author in 2005 of the amazing God is a steward good-natured, staged by Jean-Michel Ribes, deals with the frightening advent of the contemporary language, which allows two beings to hate each other politely, to address the worst atrocities without violating the elementary rules of decency. It was banished from the school the abuse, but this verbiage emptied of its substance is more cruel even than the blow of the ruler on the fingers. More terrible because we can do nothing to oppose. In this regime – under this regime, should we say, the lesser mouse gives birth to an Everest. It is man against the robots, the fascism of multiple-choice questionnaires: we would like to emphasize the young age of the «accused», the inconsistency in their own adolescence… As well wait a little humanity to a hygiaphone.
And this is what this text 25 years of age, served by two actors of great talent, is resolutely of its time. We laugh at their sentences convoluted, cold as a colin frozen, this relentlessly absurd not to let the «crime» go unpunished. But, on reflection, we’d better cry. Because Mr. Saint-Exupéry, with his under-sweater, made of Lycra, his jacket of corduroy and his shoes with crepe soles is perhaps what awaits us. Justice without judges to make and a world that is gay as a bulletin third quarter.
The Classical Course. Until 29 September at the Théâtre du Rond-Point, 2 bis avenue Franklin-Roosevelt (Eighth). Tel.: 01.44.95.98.21. Opening hours: 21 h. Seating: 31 €. Duration: 1: 40 pm.
