Description

"I don't want to get caught," Serge Gainsbourg once told Georges Lautner.<p> Mission largely accomplished: any attempt at definition would be reductive, except perhaps to say, more than 30 years after his death, that each and every one of us carries our own Serge within. Adored or detested, held up as an example or hated, he always resisted both those who wanted to sanctify him and those who would have liked to see him pilloried. Provocative? Perhaps not so sure. But a composer and songwriter of genius without a doubt. 1973, interviewed by Michel Lancelot:<br><br> "— If you want to write a book about the song?<br><br> "This book should be like a school notebook. It would first place the song at its exact level. There would need to be a margin, and I would be in the margin on every page."<br><br> Boris Vian had nevertheless allowed him to admit that, ultimately, indulging in songwriting wasn't perhaps so shameful. It was in search of this man, a modest and eminent specialist in taking a step to the side, classically trained in both music and painting, that Stéphane Varupenne and Sébastien Pouderoux embarked six years ago. Bringing together several of their colleagues from the Troupe, also musicians and singers, they explore each individual's entry into "Gainsbourg-ism." Five men and one woman embody Serge here. Always present in the background is the influence of Jane Birkin who, having seen the show, said: "If you didn't have the chance to know him, go because you understand the charm." While both are now gone, Les Serge (Gainsbourg, period) offers a vibrant tribute to the creator and performer of all those "commas in the air."<br><br> This show was created at the Studio-Théâtre of the Comédie-Française on May 16, 2019.<br><br> Costumes: Magdaléna Calloc’h<br> Lighting: Éric Dumas<br> Musical arrangements: Guillaume Bachelé, Martin Leterme, Vincent Leterme and the Serge<br> Sound: Théo Jonva</p>