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A nos pères
Tarik Noui
Actes du théâtre n° 58.[ imprimer ]
They try to make you believe that someday you’ll finally get some peace and quiet because you’ve stopped working and have just had your goodbye party after 30 years with the same outfit as they say. Not at all. That’s just a fairy story, about the old man who spends his last years with his grandchildren, or playing cards with his old friends. The truth is you’re old, alone and ill. So you’ve got to go out and fight all over again.

Broadcast on France Culture March 5, 2012. Director: Michel Sidoroff.
Cast: François Monnié, Audrey Meulle, Jean-François Pujol, Roland Timsit, David Geselson, Jacques Frantz, Francine Bergé , Julia Vaidis Baugard , Amandine Dewasmes, Stéphane Varupenne, Henry-David Cohen et the crowd: Marie-Paule Alluard, Louna Becel, Morgane Hainaux, Claire Beaugé, Jacqueline Tavernier, Myren Astrée, Léo Godin, Emilien Malaussena, Rachid Belkaïd, Thomas Lequesne, Jean-Charles Modet.

Characters : 4 women - 7 men -

1-In the basement of the firm.

(offstage)

LUCIUS It sounds like a cliché, but everything is a fight - a fight against the forces of gravity pulling you down to the ground. They try to make you believe that someday it’s your right to finally stop fighting because you’ve stopped working and have just had your goodbye party after 30 years with the same outfit as they say. Not at all. That’s just a fairy story, about the old man who spends his last years with his grandchildren, or playing cards with his old friends. It’s an idealized image. The truth is that after the goodbye party everything slowly gets diluted and the days go by faster and faster and seem so alike that you think you’re not even sleeping anymore. Luckily there are the illnesses, the little aches and pains and everything taking more and more of an effort. You end up with only one friend left - your doctor. So you’ve got to fight.
THE CROWD Lucius! Lucius!
ISADORA So? How does it feel to sleep with a young chick? Did you like it? (Beat.) Well I loved it.
LUCIUS What are my odds today?
ISADORA 3 to 1 since you creamed Luigi. So tell me, in that first fight, you went down on purpose, right?
LUCIUS I wasn’t in great shape, that’s all, and I was inexperienced. Now I know where to punch so it hurts but without killing. That’s the good thing about this profession, you learn fast.
ISADORA Killing is what people want. They’ll get tired of your fights all ending with the guy giving up or fainting. They want blood, Lucius. And they thought that’s what they were getting with you - that it was going to change.
LUCIUS I don’t want to kill anyone.
ISADORA Then you’ll be the one to get killed! You think you’re invincible. But the minute they put you in there with somebody younger he’ll cream you. That’s how it is, Lucius, a younger guy and he’ll cream you. Now give me a kiss - and go win us some money!