Theatre at TRK
Françoise par Sagan
November 4, 2023
Performed by Caroline Loeb / Directed by Alex Lutz / With the participation of Sophie Barjac
Adapted for the stage from “Je ne renie rien” by Françoise Sagan
Caroline Loeb, star of the 1980s pop music scene, becomes Françoise Sagan, the vibrant, passionate novelist who found success at the age of 18 with the (then) scandalous 1954 novel "Bonjour Tristesse". In adapting a compilation of Sagan’s candid interviews, Caroline Loeb revives the symbol of a casual, bourgeois generation, this "charming little monster" as François Mauriac once called her.
In French with English supertitles
Malaise dans la civilisation
March 14 & 15, 2024
Written by Étienne Lepage
Directed by Alix Dufresne + Étienne Lepage
Created with and performed by Florence Blain Mbaye + Maxime Genois + Renaud Lacelle-Bourdon + Alice Moreault
Suitable for ages 16+
Through a series of mundane and minor accidents, this small sample of humanity from Quebec, linked together by improbable situations, gradually transforms the empty space of the stage into a universe filled with hilarious possibilities.
Strange and playful, "Malaise dans la civilisation" allows us to observe complex, fascinating beings who innocently venture to the limits of morality. It’s touching and disturbing all at once.
In their creative partnership, co-directors Alix Dufresne and Étienne Lepage shake up both social and theatrical conventions, experimenting with the porous border between the stage and the audience. The four characters in Malaise dans la civilisation, with no defined age, refuse to accept norms, or more precisely, do not care about them.
HARVEY
Written by Mary Chase
Directed by Pierre Leloup
Since 1992 La Troupe du Theatre Raymond Kabbaz has been entertaining French speakers in Los Angeles with an annual theatre performance. After a 3-year Pandemic hiatus, the French theatre group returns to perform the American comedy classic, HARVEY, in French!
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows the story of Elwood P. Dowd, who insists on including his friend Harvey in all of his sister Veta’s social gatherings. The trouble is, Harvey is a pooka, a 6 ft 3+1⁄2 inch tall invisible rabbit.
Performed in French, without supertitles.
Les combats d’une effrontée
March 16, 2023
Adapted by Cristiana Reali and Antoine Mory from Simone Veil's memoir “A Life”
Directed by Pauline Susini
With Cristiana Reali and Noemie Develay-Ressiguier
The free adaptation on stage of Simone Veil's memoirs allows us to discover in a new light the woman who was and still is one of France's greatest icons , and a universal figure of inspiration.
Performed in French with English supertitles.
Fary - “Aime-moi si tu peux”
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Fary Lopes is one of the biggest stars of the French stand-up scene, and his success has become international with two Netflix Specials. In his new show “Love me if you can”, he explores social issues, questions the myth of love, and delves into the subjects of modern French life, reflecting on what it means to be French. The comedian makes stand up accessible, and crowns it as an art in its own right. His humor is provocative and sometimes controversial, but always with intelligence and sharpness to provoke reflection.
Performed in French, without supertitles.
La Machine de Turing
Thursday, October 27, 2022
There are heroes in the shadows to whom history neglects to pay tribute. Alan Turing is one of them. He was a brilliant mathematician during the Second World War, turning the tide of history and contributing to the victory of the Allies. An anonymous hero forced into silence, he was crushed by the well-meaning “machine” of his era, condemned as a criminal because of his homosexuality. Benoît Solès' play sheds light on this extraordinary destiny. The play was performed over 700 times in France to great acclaim, and won 4 Molières (considered the highest French theatre honor) in 2019.
Successful Women, Inspiring Stories
Saturday, March 5, 2022
Adapted from a series of revelatory interviews by Annick Cojean, a special correspondent for Le Monde, and one of France's most widely admired journalists, we delve into the intimate lives of trailblazing women who have shaped French culture, like Christiane Taubira (2022 French presidential candidate), Gisèle Halimi (lawyer and essayist), Virginie Despentes (writer, novelist, and filmmaker), Françoise Héritier (anthropologist and ethnologist), Nina Bouraoui (novelist and songwriter), and Amélie Nothomb (novelist).
Stories from Père Lachaise
Saturday, November 6, 2021
The Theatre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) proudly presents the Stories from Père Lachaise, a new festival celebrating the immortality of the arts inspired by the great artists buried in the historic Cemetery in Paris. Inspired by Carolyn Campbell’s bestselling book “City of Immortals: Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris” the multi-disciplinary festival pays tribute to the great artists resting in Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Living artists will interpret the works of great composers, poets, vocalists, dancers and visual artists who long ago found fame with their artistic achievements, and whose art lives on today.
Patrick Timsit Le livre de ma mère (Book of my mother)
January 31, February 1, 2020
A solo performance by renowned French actor Patrick Timsit. The play, based on Book of My Mother- a 1954 autobiography by Swiss author Albert Cohen - is a memoir of a son to a mother, a way to celebrate her life. Achingly honest, intimate, and moving, this love song is a tribute to all mothers. Cohen himself expressed “I shall not have written in vain if one of you, after reading my hymn of death, is one evening gentler with his mother because of me and my mother”.
Réparer les vivants (The Heart)
May 11, 2017
An adaptation by Emmanuel Noblet of realistic and medical fiction novel by the French author Maylis de Kerangal. The acclaimed production, which won the 2017 Molière for Solo Performance, is told through the voices of all the characters involved, the story unfolds over the 24-hour deadline to transplant a human heart and unearths the complex wave of emotions and ethical questions that come with the miracle of modern medicine.
Adieu Monsieur Haffmann, (Farewell Mr. Haffmann)
September, 20 & 21, 2019
An original and powerful play written and directed by Jean-Philippe Daguerre. This intimate play, set during World War 2, is built like a feature film, incorporating fun and suspenseful sequences, and mixing humor and gravity. Daguerre recreates the hidden torments of 1942 Paris with emotion and allure. It is a masterful dive into the harsh reality of occupied France’s darkest hours.
La Fontaine / Brassens
March 14, 2019
Based on the fables of 17th century fabulist Jean de La Fontaine and the songs of 20th century Georges Brassens, the show is an enchanting musical play exploring the universe of two of France’s greatest wordsmiths, starring Marie-Christine Barrault and Jean-Pierre Arbon. In this show, created and interpreted by Jean-Pierre Arbon with the complicity of Marie-Christine Barrault, the fabulist and the singer dialog through time and playfully merge their voices.
Plaidores (Pleadings)
September 13 & 14, 2019
A solo performance with famous French actor and director, Richard Berry. The play resurrects the closing arguments of five attorneys in cases that had significant public impact in France. The production is based on a book by Matthieu Aron, a longtime court reporter who is now deputy editor in chief at the news magazine L’Observateur. Without recordings, French trial arguments are generally lost to posterity; to counter that, Mr. Aron opted to reconstruct 45 of them, using his own notes as well as shorthand court archives and lawyers’ copies of their arguments.
Vincent, The Real Story of Van Gogh
January 31, 2019
Written by Leonard Nimoy, directed by Paul Stein, and inspired by the one-man piece Phillip Stevens’ Van Gogh , the play paints a thoughtful imaginary scenario about one of the most famous names in the art world, using excerpts and reminiscences from more than 500 letters exchanged between Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo. It is the story of Vincent’s life, as told by his brother Theo. Throughout the play, more than a hundred of Van Gogh’s paintings are projected on a screen, providing a rich overview of the artist’s work and a visual complement to the unfolding story. Van Gogh’s critics labeled his work “madness”. But his story is so much more than that of the misunderstood artist who cut off his own ear.
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran
May 6, 2018
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran (Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran) is written and performed by famous Franco-Belgian novelist Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt. Published in 2001, Mr. Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran is a moral tale of self-discovery and maturity. It tells the story of Momo, a young Jewish boy, who sets out on a quest to find happiness with the help and teachings of his old friend, an old Muslim grocer, Mr. Ibrahim. As this deeply funny and exquisitely crafted plot unravels, it reveals how we learn the most essential lessons of life and death when we expect them the least. Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has given us an illuminating tale about suffering, love, compassion, and faith in both God and humanity. This story is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and reflect on the grace and wonder that can be found in every heart.
Le Petit Chaperon Rouge by Joël Pommerat
March 9 & 10, 2018
Award winning French writer/director Joël Pommerat directs this fresh take on an old tale. We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood and yet ... In the beautifully concise, archetypal language of fairy tales, Pommerat rewrites the steps of the most famous story, preserving its original structure while teasing out a profound rite of initiation and passage. What results is a crisp, wholly modern interpretation of a bittersweet classic. No less appropriate for adults as it is for children, this delicate story is perfect for anyone who has ever faced fear, loneliness, or the ambivalence of growing up.
Charlotte de Turckheim - One Woman Show
February 3 & 4, 2018
In the Los Angeles premiere of Une journée chez ma mère, (A Day at My Mother’s house) the new one-woman show starring Charlotte de Turckheim, De Turckheim embodies a stream of colorful characters and ranges from heartbreaking to hilarious!
The show, co-written by Bruno Gaccio and Charlotte de Turckheim in the late 1980s, was extremely successful in France and was adapted for the cinema in 1992. The exuberant French comedian is back on stage for a revival of her famous show, directed by Patrice Thibaud.
The real story of Van Gogh - Vincent
November 9, 2017
A captivating one-man performance by acclaimed French actor, Jean-Michel Richaud, portraying Vincent Van Gogh. Written by Leonard Nimoy, directed by Paul Stein, the play paints a thoughtful imaginary scenario about one of the most famous names in the art world, using excerpts and reminiscences from more than 500 letters exchanged between Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo. Theo supported Vincent financially and emotionally, and without Theo, Vincent wouldn’t have been able to develop into an artist. It is the story of Vincent’s life, as told by his brother Theo.
Van Gogh’s critics labeled his work “madness”. But his story is so much more than that of the misunderstood artist who cut off his own ear.