Review: ON NE BADINE PAS AVEC L'AMOUR at Grand Théâtre

This week, Broadway World attended the premiere of Alfred De Musset's classic On Ne Badine pas Avec l'Amour at the Grand Théâtre of Luxembourg. The play was put together by our very own Théâtres de la Ville, in a partnership with the Théâtre de Liège and La Comète. True to form, Luxembourg did not fail to deliver its characteristic stamp of quality, with some of our most esteemed national actors proving on stage why the Grand Duchy can rival major international names.

For those unfamiliar, the play centres around the turbulent love dynamic between Perdican (Pierre Ostoya Magnin) and Camille (Alice Borgers), two upper-class young cousins who meet after some years apart. Perdican's father, the Baron (Jean-Michel Vovk), wishes for the two to marry and, while their initial reunion is not an immediate love match, their clashing personalities draw their hearts increasingly closer. The pairs enters a game of jealousy and pride which drags the beautiful and innocent peasant Rosette (Sophie Mousel) into a dramatic love triangle.

The gold: Clash of ideas. The best written, directed and acted scene in the show was the ideological confrontation between Camille and Perdican. The young girl's religious rhetoric, heavily influenced by older bitter women, is a defensive and indoctrinated cry, motivated by fear and pride. However, the youth's openness and more liberal lifestyle can also be regarded as a coping mechanism, one employed to fight his lack of strong moral beliefs, as well as loving and meaningful relationships. Their contrasting ideas bring them closer together and soften their perspectives, in a scene that is both profoundly philosophical and artistically meaningful.

The silver: Alice Borgers and Pierre Ostoya Magnin. Given our previous medal, this second one is perhaps redundant, but we would like to highlight both actors for their performance. While the entire cast was great, both Borgers and Magnin were given roles which allowed them to display greater range and versatility. Camille's evolution is quite clear, from grey convent clothes to a flaming red dress, but Perdican's struggle arc, although more internal, is widely visible too. Although their emotional chemistry was not always obvious, their individual body language and physical acting was one of the best we have seen in recent months.

The bronze: Rosette. Here we applaud both the character building and Mousel's acting. For director and actor alike, there is not much you can do with a simple, pretty, innocent character, featured as a pawn between two lovers. However, her presence in the background playing the piano, often moving between full exposure and partial cover, added a bitter-sweet layer of melancholy, which did wonders for the general atmosphere. And while Rosette's nature could not present a formidable challenge for a seasoned actress like Sophie Mousel, the tenderness displayed through mannerisms, silent eye contact and (especially) physical touch, gave an otherwise forgetable character an unexpected and very memorable depth.

As usual, our thanks to the Grand Théâtre and everyone involved.

To reach out to the writer: nuno.de.sousa.lopes@gmail.com

Photo Credit: Bohumil Kostohryz