Paris: Musée de Montmartre Juliette Binoche: Miss Julie Baryshnikov: Theatre "In Paris"
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| Sacré-Cœur Basilica (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
Follow the Steps of Struggling Artists and Bohemians in Montmartre…
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| Musée de Montmartre at 12 Rue Cortot, Paris (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
Tucked away on a tiny Parisian street behind the Sacré-Cœur church is the charming Musée de Montmartre. While it is less well known than the famous Sacré-Cœur a few steps away at the top of the hill, this small museum is a treasure trove of information and visual history about Montmartre, the area's struggling artists, and creative thinkers, in a bucolic and fascinating setting.
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| One of the three garden areas surrounding the main building of the museum (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
The museum currently comprises three small buildings and a garden with plans to open a newly renovated wing in 2014 to double the present exhibition area. The main three story building, which was built in 1680 for one of Moliere’s principal actors, Claude de la Roze as a family home, now houses the exhibitions of paintings, posters and artifacts. From the 19th century these rooms were rented inexpensively to poor artists and others - some wanted to live near the excitement of the new cabarets and bars, some wanted to join friends to help protect Montmartre's unique history and culture.
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| A second floor room of the museum (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
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| Room of the museum with Cabaret video, photos and posters (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
Examples of such artists and bohemians who lived in Montmartre are Camille Pisarro, Vincent van Gogh, Alfred Jarry, Modigliani, Henri Matisse, Edgar Degas, Erik Satie, Toulouse-Lautrec, Maurice Utrillo, Raoul Dufy, Suzanne Valadon, and illustrator Francisque Poulbot.
One of the most significant reasons to visit this Montmartre museum is to breathe in the air and to experience the ambiance of the famous 19th century artists who painted in the studios of the two smaller buildings of the museum grounds - Renoir, Utrillo, Valadon, Dufy, and later, many lesser known artists. These two buildings are now used by the administration and conservation offices, reception and gift shop.
Auguste Renoir painted the large canvas Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (Bal du moulin de la Galette) in 1876 in the long gone stables of one of the buildings.
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| The swing in the museum garden (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
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| Utrillo's and Valadon's Studio (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
A very interesting video about Utrillo “Maurice Utrillo, Folie?” by Jean Fabris was playing (in French) continuously in a tiny room of the museum on my visit, which is worth watching to discover Utrillo’s challenging journey as an artist and his impressive body of work. Also, there was a glimpse of Utrillo's studio in the video, which was wonderful to see.
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| View across vineyard and Lapin Agile Cabaret and Bar lower down (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
As you go up and down the winding stairs to each floor, look out of the windows - every view from the museum is wonderful and overlooks the gardens, or the sole remaining vineyard in Montmartre next door with the “Lapin Agile” at the end of the field, down the hill. This is a well-known cabaret and bar where artists Picasso, Modigliani and Toulouse-Lautrec, the poet Apollinaire and actor/director Charles Dullin hung out...plus many other artists of the times - and the cabaret show and bar is still open for business!
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| The museum's own chat noir - black cat! (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
This little museum and garden offers a welcome respite from the crowds to experience an hour or so of life in Montmartre during its "golden age" of struggling artists and bohemians. If you don’t already know this museum, put it on your list for the next trip to Paris. The price of admission included an audio guide – available in various languages, including English - and some notes in the museum were in English, too. Look on the museum website (french version only available at this time) for their upcoming exhibitions, events, updated hours and location.
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| Musée de Montmartre (Photo by Jo Tomalin) |
More information:
Musée de Montmartre
12 rue Cortot
75018 Paris
Telephone 01 49 25 89 37 or 01 49 25 89 39
Open Daily 10am to 6pm
Ticket Prices (June 2012):
Adults: 8 Euros ($10)
Students Age 18 - 25: 6 Euros
Youths Age 10 - 17: 4 Euros
Children under 10 free.
Website: Musée de Montmartre
http://www.museedemontmartre.fr/
12 rue Cortot
75018 Paris
Telephone 01 49 25 89 37 or 01 49 25 89 39
Open Daily 10am to 6pm
Ticket Prices (June 2012):
Adults: 8 Euros ($10)
Students Age 18 - 25: 6 Euros
Youths Age 10 - 17: 4 Euros
Children under 10 free.
Website: Musée de Montmartre
http://www.museedemontmartre.fr/
Musée d'Orsay
Lapin Agile
Jo Tomalin Ph.D.
Follow @JoTomalin
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| Photo: Juliette Binoche as Mademoiselle Julie © Christophe Raynaud De Lage |
Dazzling Mademoiselle Julie
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Imagine a wide white cube with floor to ceiling windows and several tall, lithe, barren tree trunks in the background. There you have the brightly lit stage (set and light Design by Laurent P. Berger) for this contemporized version of August Strindberg’s Mademoiselle Julie, now playing (in French, translation by Terje Sinding) at the world renowned Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe, Paris. While this stark vision may not evoke the traditional home of 1888 when Strindberg wrote “Miss Julie”, it is a perfect canvas for the volatile dance of death director Frédéric Fisbach has created.
Strindberg wanted to write a tragedy about men and women and the story focuses on the angst and entanglements of male female relationships but with a twist – class issues of master and servant. In this case Miss Julie is the daughter of the owner of the house and Jean is the servant, engaged to Christine the cook. Although scandalous when first produced at end of 19th century Strindberg’s writing and the emotional possibilities of the characters in Miss Julie continue to inspire interpretations and productions worldwide.
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| Photo: Nicolas Bouchard and Juliette Binoche in Mademoiselle Julie © Christophe Raynaud De Lage |
Fisbach interprets Miss Julie as an existential play that embodies love, desire, and explores naturalism and symbolism. He also sees this as a modern day relatable battle of brains, based on the intelligence + psychology of the two main characters, Mademoiselle Julie played by Juliette Binoche and Jean played by Nicolas Bouchaud.
Juliette Binoche creates an astoundingly believable character physically and emotionally embodying a vast arc and range of sincerity, exuberance, curiosity, naïveté, who is also domineering, passionate and needy. She is masterful at owning the dialogue, as a contemporary woman.
Nicolas Bouchaud as Jean is equally engaging and a good match for Binoche in his carefully drawn worldly servant who is usually in charge downstairs in the kitchen where most of the action takes place, but the unexpected intrusion of Miss Julie from the upstairs world as she returns from a party (continuing in view behind the cube among the trees) causes Jean’s relationship to her through the evening and early next morning, to hover - at first courteous and sensible, later seduced then confused and ultimately quietly manipulative.
The human interactions of Binoche wearing an elegant shimmering gold gown (costume design by Alber Elbaz for Lanvin) and Bouchard are true, wrestling with man and woman issues as if in real time, pushing and pulling with poetic, emotional and unexpected challenges leading to the dramatic last moments of the play. Bénédicte Cerutti is wonderful as Christine, coming and going as she finishes her work at night or starts again in the morning. Cerutti’s Christine is earthy, less complex than Jean and Julie and is often the voice of reason in this psychological thriller. A chorus of about thirteen actors dances at the party in the background to pop dance music which disperses as the evening progresses.
The contrasting characters of the three main actors are not only due to the text and the actors themselves, but also due to Fisbach’s direction and attention to detail. Fisbach has very successfully guided his actors to develop different movement qualities in their characters which show the hierarchy and suggest point of view. Binoche is often symmetric and confident standing her ground firmly, while Bourchard’s Jean is often less so with nuances in his asymmetric stance and gestures, however he moves and speaks with stealth which ranges from respectful to romantic and at times chilling.
The rhythm of the play is fluid and takes its time, punctuated by volatile moments, plus two or three short, mesmerizing visceral flashes between Jean and Julie, accompanied by pulsating sounds that make them even more breathtaking. One very moving moment of the play is when the balance of their relationship is fleetingly equal and they are just a man and woman sitting on a step outside chatting during a date - she is getting cold, so he gently puts his jacket on her shoulders while they sit on the edge of the set close to the audience. The magic of simplicity!
This evocative Julie is one to be seen. It premiered at the Avignon Festival in 2011 and continues at the Odéon Théâtre in Paris until June 24, 2012. Then it moves to the Barbican in London from September 20 to 29, 2012.
For more information: Odéon Théâtre Website
Jo Tomalin Ph.D.
Mikhail Baryshnikov at Berkeley Rep Theatre - In Paris.
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| Legendary performer Mikhail Baryshnikov comes to Berkeley Rep for a special presentation of In Paris. Photographer: Maria Baranova |
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| Mikhail Baryshnikov at Berkeley Rep for a special presentation of In Paris. Photographer: Annie Leibovitz |
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| Mikhail Baryshnikov (right) and Anna Sinyakina at Berkeley Rep in presentation of In Paris. Photographer: Maria Baranova |
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| Mikhail Baryshnikov (right) and Anna Sinyakina perform at Berkeley Rep in a special presentation of In Paris. Photographer: Maria Baranova |
“In Paris” is a performance piece incorporating movement, music, projections, video, text in Russian and French with English supertitles, adapted from a short story by Nobel Prize-winner Ivan Bunin, about a lonely Russian man who meets a lonely young Russian woman. Set in the city of light, Paris, in the 1930s this romantic tale is creatively brought to life by the cast of seven led by legendary dancer and award-winning performer Mikhail Baryshnivov, and director Dmitry Krymov, who also adapted the story.
Krymov is a painter, set designer and director who develops innovative pieces (that are often silent) in Moscow at the Dmitry Krymov Laboratory which play internationally. For sure, Krymov’s Laboratory with young actors, his innovative approach to theatre making together with Baryshnikov’s legendary presence and instinctive acting and movement skills make an interesting collaborative group. The result is fascinating. It’s stripped down production style is a welcome challenge to the imagination and engenders complicity with the audience.
The transformative set by Maria Tregubova is simple and effective comprising a turntable stage, rigging on view, large cut out images that transport us to Paris and an absurdist looking bar table and chair. The cast interact around and within the set pieces as the revolving scene becomes a Parisian bar, a taxi ride and a wonderful old cinema scene evoked by dim projections of Charlie Chaplin and cigarette smoke (Audio & Video Design by Tei Blow).
Baryshnivov’s Russian man and the Russian woman played by Krymov Laboratory member and film actor Anna Sinyakina meet, converse and flirt - they express themselves at first in the bar with brief, abstract movements and attitudes tilting the bar table and chair beautifully (movement Coach Andrey Schukin and Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky). Krymov’s staging is brilliant given the spare text and dialogue – with surreal imagery such as a "Magritte look" when Baryshnikov stands in shadows with an umbrella.
The story and subtext of sentiment is often told through non-verbal moments such as when she changes clothes for the date and as he shaves himself and prepares. A moment in the narrative that might have been interesting to bring to life was near the end of the date when they were deciding whether to go to his or her place, however, at this point the couple was in shadows and the supertitles covered the stage.
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| Visionary director Dmitry Krymov teams up with other Russian artists like Mikhail Baryshnikov for Berkeley Rep’s special presentation of In Paris. Photo courtesy of Berkeley Repertory Theatre All images © Berkeley Repertory Theatre. All rights reserved. |
Krymov and his team have created clever effects which are part of the whole in this production, such as the woman’s beautiful long gown transforming to a short dress (costumes by Tregubova), dramatic lighting by Damir Ismagilov - with humor when the spot light following Baryshnikov walking across the stage seems to develop a mind of its own. A chase between Sinyakina and Baryshnikov becomes magical - and transforms as she turns upside down into a pietà-like statue. In response, Baryshnikov transforms his coat into a cape and performs an intensely moving brief matador dance. A wonderful production that sells out fast - see it if you can!
More Information:
- Berkeley Rep Theatre Website: http://www.berkeleyrep.org/
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Baryshnikov Arts Center: http://www.bacnyc.org/
Additional Tour Dates/Locations: Spoleto Festival, Italy, June 30-July 1, 2012; Lincoln Center Festival, New York City, August 1-August 5, 2012.
Jo Tomalin Ph.D.