Finally, my chance to see dramatic work by Thomas Bernhard! I’m not sure that Dramusculeswas originally meant as the three one-acts shown at the Poche-Montparnasse. They may be selected from related playlets and monologues. Though I haven’t found a similar title in a list of Bernhard’s writing, I believe this program does contain typical facets of his work.
In Dramuscules the Dutch-born but Austrian citizen Bernhard characteristically rails against religion, particularly repressive Catholicism he felt he experienced as a youth; prejudiced, stupid, cruel people, especially his countrymen; and a pretentious, materialistic society. Stylistically, he’s known for repetition of words -- often by speakers copying others, or for writing monologues or presenting an outsider’s view. Though the playlets exhibit all these features, they’re also very funny.
“Un Mort” (A Death) catches two middle class ladies as they leave their church after an evening praying of the rosary. Fanfare and bells sound, but apprehension comes suddenly as the ladies see a long bundle across from their path. The first (Catherine Salviat, dominating) points out the puzzling factors of their discovery to which the second (Judith Magre, timid) agrees. But it takes #1 to risk looking at “death in the face.” So, after prepping herself for the show, as it were, she touches the bundle and out it spreads! The great paper rug holds a sort of flag with swastikas. A murder? Could a Turk have done it? A tough combination-cop-and-garbageman (Anthony Cochin’s typical roll) takes over.
In “Le Mois de Marie” (The Marriage Month), after leaving Mass on Sunday, the women cousins discuss life in the neighborhood. They speak of death and the disparate views of their fathers about it, discuss nationalities, the young today, finances. A lot of their talk is about money and the lawyers who mislead after death, like after war. And of course, there’s shopping. But the intriguing bit of their gossip has been about the recent disappearance (a word which can also mean “death”) of a Mr. Geissrathner.
Following a skeptical exchange about noise, the women are bothered by a guy grunting while apparently dealing with flowers but really digging a grave. Turks are mentioned again and the stronger of the women (wonderful Salviat) atypically runs off. It would appear she has a racial attitude.
Actress Magre then leaves her shy flower role and appears with a guidebook in a kind of between-acts sequence that involves audience participation. At one point a guy runs out with an iron and laundry. Never mind. She reads quotations from various philosophers, like Kant and Marx, and writers like Colette and Baudelaire and asks for the sources. The audience seems to like the game. A siren announces...
“Match” takes place at nightfall in the apartment where policeman Kroll (Cochin, of course) and his wife Maria (Salviat) live. She’s ironing. She wants to talk but he plants himself in front of the TV to watch a football match. Whatever she does, he pays no attention. His police jacket will pay for that! And a mirror is broken too. Big noise and lights out! Despite all the repetition in Dramuscules, scenes of actual drama pass quickly and do not bore for a moment. The performances are first rate. Salviat’s facial expressions especially do not fade from memory.
Director Catherine Hiegel uses the intimacy of the Theatre-des-Poche-Montparnasse to make it seem we have just come upon and are surreptitiously listening to the conversations of the characters or, in the end playlet, seeing into a room from its removed fourth wall. This seems like what it must have been like to attend the Theatre Libre in the first days of realism, even though the scenic style is not detailed but minimal.
