Voice, tone, body language—at 61, the actress and comedian has kept her eye for detail perfectly intact, using it to portray over fifteen characters that are larger than life and to capture the spirit of the times at Paris’s Théâtre Marigny.
We last saw her performing a one-woman show in Paris. Valérie Lemercier, an attentive witness to the human comedy, was unfurling a gallery of hilarious characters of all ages and social backgrounds. Ten years later, the actress is presenting her sixth one-woman-show at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris, in perfect continuity with her previous performances. This is likely why she never gives them a title. Much like the posters she paints herself, it’s Lemercier’s unique comedic style—her remarkable ability to observe her fellow humans, her dexterity in performance, and her precision in writing—that audiences come to (re)discover.
Dressed entirely in black, with only a scarf and a parcel as props, she embodies no less than fifteen characters for an hour and a half without a single dull moment and with astounding energy. The elegance of her performance allows for a dialogue that is very free, biting, provocative, but never gratuitous. In her repertoire of sketches, the new arrivals resonate with what is stirring our current era. The aging farmer from Normandy reminisces about her youth and shares reflections on her daily life.