Musical Theatre Holiday Special and Un Noël à New York were performed at Comédie Nation, Paris.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
The Comédie Nation on the Rue de Montreuil seems to be fast becoming the new temple of Broadway in Paris. The ever popular Broadway au Carré soirée, held on the second Thursday of every month, presented its special Christmas edition featuring a selection of 17 festive songs from a wide range of Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals such as Elf, Catch Me If You Can, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Starting Here, Starting Now and Songs For a New World.
The world premiere of a new song by Sam Carner and Derek Gregor, ‘The Chrismas Tree Blues’, was also introduced, while the spirited evening was appropriately concluded with ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, immortalised by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St Louis.
The talented 15-piece cast was headed by the wonderful Lauren Taylor Berkman and Lauren Van Kempen, fresh from the musical revue Les Jingle Belles at the August Theatre.
Credit must be given to the dynamic Lisandro Nesis for organising and hosting that edition and to the magic fingers of John Florencio and Samuel Sené, currently importing the concept to London with The West End Frenchies.
Presented last year with a score reprising standards from the great American Songbook, the 100% jazz musical A Christmas in New York was back for 15 performances with an original score composed by leading player and librettist Magali Lange with the help of Annick Latour (also providing dialogue and set design) and Nicola Suzanne. The choreography was by Amélie Foubert.
Many things had changed and improved since the first edition of the show, almost a year ago. The use of dancing worked well and the score had real charm and wit. The title song was as hummable as any jazz standard. The book was reminiscent of the Broadway show It Shoulda Been You, with its intimacy and real-time unfolding of the story. On Christmas Eve, at his mother’s New York loft, a son arrives uninvited with his girlfriend. His mum’s amazement is paralleled by his own at discovering her with a new part-time lover.
With champagne flowing and tongues loosening, the celebration goes on and some secrets are revealed on the way, among which is news of the young son’s homosexuality. As played by Simon Gallant, Paul is the most interesting character of the piece, though his chemistry with the spirited Marie Favier as Caroline is not convincing, even when they show up as a couple at the beginning of the play.
Cédric Baillergeau has charm as the lover Patrick and, as Suzanne, Magali Lange brings an impressive depth to her performance.
All in all, Christmas in New York was a charming, mature and low-key alternative to the big French spectaculars and children’s musicals, the best of which by far this year being The Revenge of Captain Hook at Théâtre de Variétés, written by Raphaël Sanchez (music) and Ely Grimaldi and Igor de Chaillé (book and lyrics) and directed by Ned Grujic.
Long live the Comédie Nation for supporting music theatre in Paris by allowing new work to be produced.
Patrick Honoré
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