Je ne sais quoi - Nathalie Joly

Press Release
For immediate release
30 May 2013
Je ne sais quoi
A music show by Nathalie Joly
Institut français d’Ecosse Fringe 2013
8 – 26 August 2013, 6.15 pm (75 mins)
Episode 1: Even days / Episode 2: Odd days
Singer and actress Nathalie Joly presents Je ne sais quoi, a diptych show mixing music
and theatre tribute to Yvette Guilbert, undisputed Queen of the Parisian café concert and
friend of Freud.
Accompanied by her pianist Jean-Pierre Gesbert, Nathalie Joly gives her voice to French cabaret singer
Yvette Guilbert in this original production mixing music and theatre. Recalling the two most significant
episodes of Guilbert’s life, Joly invites us to discover the witty and mischievous repertoire of the
undisputed star of the Moulin Rouge in Montmartre who mesmerized and befriended Sigmund Freud
before flying to New York to open a school of performing arts for deprived girls and invent the “Rythme
Fondu”, precursor of poetry slam.
Episode 1: 1890, in a Parisian cabaret, Freud hears Yvette Guilbert for the first time and literally
succumbs to the charm of her interpretation and the profoundness of her songs. A lifelong friendship
followed.
Based on the original letters of their unpublished correspondence, Je ne sais quoi, episode 1 shows the
50-years long friendship between the French cabaret star and the Father of Psychoanalysis. The latter
was fascinated by Guilbert and her songs, not only because they reminded him of the Paris of his youth,
but by all that these songs expressed of profound sentiment, desire, conflict and humour in distress,
accompanying his reflection on the relationship between the unconscious and sexuality. Through extracts
of their letters and a selection of 17 colourful songs, including her biggest hits Madame Arthur and La
Glu, this first part navigates between humour and drama, mischief and cruelty, compassion and
tenderness. Je ne sais quoi, episode 1 was created at the request of the Psychoanalytical Society of Paris (SPP) in
2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sigmund Freud and the 80 years of the creation of
the SPP. Freud and Guilbert’s letters were kindly made available by the Freud Museum in London. CD
and book set JE NE SAIS QUOI including all corresondance between Freud and Yvette Guilbert, (part 1)
Episode 2: circa 1900. At the height of her fame, Guilbert terminates her contracts and flies to New York
where she opens a singing and elocution school for deprived girls and composes a new repertoire of
songs, influenced by poetry and medieval songs.
In this episode 2 of Yvette Guilbert’s destiny, Nathalie Joly explores her new repertoire composed to
perfect her art of “rythme fondu”, a new language between speech and song that will become the
Sprechgesang that will be so popular in Europe before the war and until today with poetry slams. Taking
roots in the popular tradition, between fairy tales and pieces of news, these songs reflect Guilbert’s
commitment to feminist values and explore stronger themes like infanticide, misfortune, social decay and
rejection. Through Joly’s voice, Guilbert questions the process of creation and transmission and the role
of the artist in society. CD ENV’LÀ UNE DRÔLE D’AFFAIRE (part 2)
Initially conceived as individual shows, the two episodes will be presented as a diptych show for its UK
premiere at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe. Since its creation in 2008, Joly gave over 250 performances of
Je ne sais quoi in France and around the world, including at the famous Théâtre de la TempêteCartoucherie in Paris, thanks to the support of its director Ariane Mouchkine (Les Naufragés du Fol
Espoir, Edinburgh International Festival 2012).
Actress and singer, Nathalie Joly received the first prize in singing at the Boulogne National
Conservatoire. She has worked in association with talented directors (including Philippe Adrien, Alain
Françon, Thierry Roisin, Michel Rostain, Maurice Durozier, Lisa Wumser….) and composers (including
Maurice Ohana, Christian Sebille, and Philippe Legoff). International artist, Nathalie Joly is fascinated by
all the spoken - sung forms, at the origin of all his shows. She had directed and sung Je sais que tu es
dans la salle about Sacha Guitry and Yvonne Printemps, Cabaret ambulant about itinerant theater’s
repertoire, Cafés Cantantes songs of superstition, Paris Bukarest about the Romanian singer Maria
Tanase J’attends un navire – Cabaret de l’Exil adapted from Kurt Weill at the Theatre de la Tempête. She
has recently created "Diseuses" (Marseille 2013), a history of spoken sung, with rappers of Marseille.
Nathalie Joly and the director of Je ne sais quoi Jacques Verzier met during the creation of Rêves de
Kafka and Ké voi both directed by Philippe Adrien. They regularly work together on several creations both
as directors and performers. In Afghanistan, she also realized the documentary movie Tashakor about
Music and women in Kaboul. She also realized an exhibition about Yvette Guilbert, Diseuse fin de siècle
(MP13)
Distribution
Author and Singer: Nathalie Joly
Piano: Jean-Pierre Gesbert
Director: Jacques Verzier
Lighting designer: Arnaud Sauer
Costumes: Claire Risterruci
Producer: Marche la Route
A performance produced in association with the Société Psychanalytique de Paris, the Théâtre de la
Tempête Cartoucherie, Gallimard, the Société des Gens de Lettres de France and with the permission of
the Sigmund Freud Copyrights. A show supported by Radio France, Sofia, Spedidam and CNV.
For further information, interviews, production images and reviewing enquiries, please contact Vanessa
Bismuth, Communications & PR Officer, Institut français d’Ecosse – 0131 225 5366 / [email protected]
Institut français d’Ecosse/ Venue 134 – 13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 7TT. Box Office: 0131
225 53 66 Mon - Sun 9.30 am – 9.00 pm.
Listings information
Title: Je ne sais quoi
Company: Nathalie Joly
Category: Music (PG)
Sung in French, English supertitles
Date: August 8-11, 13-18, 20-26, 6.15 pm (75 mins)
Even days: Episode 1 / Odd days: Episode 2
Tickets: £10 (£8)
Box Office: 0131 225 5366 or www.edfringe.com
About the Institut français d’Ecosse
The Institut français is the agency of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs with
responsibility for cultural activity outside France. In Scotland, the agency is represented by the Institut
français d’Ecosse (Edinburgh) which promotes French language and culture by providing French courses
and organising events (film screenings, talks, exhibitions, concerts, etc.). It also aims to encourage crosscultural exchange between France and Scotland, in cooperation with Scottish Francophile institutions.
Additional information is available on www.ifecosse.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @ifecosse.
More information about Fringe Festival 2013 at the Institut français: http://vivelefringe.org/je-ne-saisquoi/
Twitter: @vivelefringe
More information about Nathalie Joly: http://marchelaroute.free.fr/ Contact Production Marche La Route 49 avenue Foch 75116 PARIS FRANCE +33 6 80 85 75 39
[email protected] 2 artists on tour, 1 technician for lights / very light data shee Press extracts Je ne sais quoi / Part 1: Le Monde -­‐ A fascinating, funny, simple, and very light-­‐hearted show,… Nathalie Joly is loyal to Madam Yvette’s singing ". Véronique Mortaigne Libération The show effortlessly links songs, extracts from letters and dialogue… A show bursting with humor and intelligence … Dynamic and funny, ‘Je ne sais quoi’ is a breath of fresh air. François-­‐Xavier Gomez FRANCE CULTURE "A delicious and very beautiful show on Freud's admiration for Yvette Guilbert's music". David Jisse Le Point The Paris which the psychoanalyst loved, handed on a tray . Valérie Marin La Meslée Télérama *** -­‐ This show is a must-­‐see of pure delight, a gem. Sylviane Bernard-­‐Gresh Europe 1 -­‐ Nathalie Joly masters the art of ‘spoken and sung’ and wonderfully interprets the nuances of this very Parisian repertoire. She acts and sings Love in all its forms with derision and exceptional precision. Diane Shenouda The Point -­‐ The show resembles a dream, it’s a leap into the subconscious and into a Paris of the past. Marie Audran Journal du Dimanche -­‐ This show is a true marvel, where humour, elegance and authenticity revive the magical atmosphere of live music cafés. Alexis Campion Le Nouvel Observateur -­‐ Nathalie Joly breathes new life into the Parisian live music cafés of the interwar period. Timothée Barrière Fémina JDD -­‐ Nathalie Joly's cabaret performance is intellectual and popular at the same time. A delight! Eric Emmanuel Schmitt *** La Provence – Both light-­‐hearted and deep, Nathalie Joly's musical performance is captivating. A show as pleasant as it is successful. Olga Bibiloni Press extracts / En v’là une drôle d’affaire / Part 2 Le Monde -­ An hour and fifteen minutes of pure delight... Nathalie Joly presents the Guilbert mystery with a liberating sobriety, and portrays the chameleon woman, who was capable of constantly changing registers and characters, therefore helping the Freudian reflection on the essence of art. Véronique Mortaigne Le Figaro -­‐ For those who love beautiful songs, for those who love intriguing and extraordinary ‘characters’-­‐ and Yvette Guilbert certainly was one -­‐ this show is a moment of happiness .... Nathalie Joly, with her charm, grace, musicality and subtle sensitivity, shows us Yvette Guilbert’s world. Armelle Héliot Liberation –A singing and acting performance...Choruses, popular songs of the streets, medieval ballads… their darkness has never been equaled. The song « Morphine» is still as fascinating, and shines bright like a black diamond….FX Gomez Pariscope -­‐ Nathalie Joly embodies the many nuances of this exceptional artist. An amazing show! Le Canard enchaîné – Highly pleasing to the eye and to the mind. AlbertAlgoud Télérama -­ "We love" -­‐ The fate of the Queen of the ‘caf 'conc'’, a pioneer of feminism. In a very subtle performance, Nathalie Joly depicts Yvette Guilbert’s contribution to the interpretation and writing of texts full of colorful characters. Sylviane Bernard Gresh Politis -­‐ Nathalie Joly wrote an amazing play ... Jacques Verzier’s staging and pianist Jean Pierre Gesbert’s lively performance intensify the profoundness of this theatrical journey through time, in which the actress’s powerful voice highlights her great talent for acting. Gilles Costaz France Musique -­‐ A magnificent performance, victim of its own success. A great show, imagine a small café theater in Paris, where time doesn’t matter! Go and see it! Denisa Kerschova Europe 1 – With her velvet voice, Nathalie Joly sings wonderfully and raps, ahead of the time. A warm and intimate show which sparkles with humour and intelligence, don’t miss it! D. Shenouda JDD -­‐ Nathalie Joly glorifies Yvette Guilbert. To be enjoyed without moderation. Alexis Campion France Inter -­‐ Performed by a remarkable singer and actress named Nathalie Joly, who dives into the historical background of the character she embodies. A show full of surprises. . Gilles Costaz Avant scène théâtre -­‐ Performances of great beauty, often projecting a unique light. LE MONDE 29.12.2012 The Yvette Guilbert case on Nathalie Joly’s couch The singer of ‘Fiacre’ fascinated Freud as much as she did Toulouse-­‐Lautrec. Musical psychoanalysis. With En voila une drôle d’affaire, Nathalie Joly offers an hour and fifteen minutes of pure delight – acted and sung. She is accompanied by Jean-­‐Pierre Gesbert at the piano and directed by Jacques Verzier. It is also the second episode of a story which started late 2008, when Nathalie Joly created Je ne sais quoi. In this performance, nineteen songs created by Yvette Guilbert (1865-­‐1944) -­‐ some of which are still famous (Le fiacre, Madame Arthur, La Glu) -­‐ are mixed with read excerpts of her correspondence, from 1926 to 1939, with an inveterate admirer, Sigmund Freud. Freud discovered the ‘diseuse de fin de siècle’ in 1889 at the Eldorado Cabaret, on Mrs Charcot’s advice. Her husband, a specialist in hysteria, had asked the Viennese doctor to come to Paris. When first listening to Dites-­‐moi si je suis belle, a narcissistic song sung on a tortuous melody from the 14th century, he remained speechless. He could not take his eyes of Toulouse-­‐Lautrec’s muse, who relentlessly drew her with a thin waistline and long black gloves. In 2008, the Société française de psychanalyse (the French psychoanalysis society), who took a strong interest in the ‘story’ asked Nathalie Joly to portray the chameleon woman, who was capable of constantly changing registers (tragedy, comedy) and characters (sleazy, prudish, yobs; betrayed, cruel or naïve women, etc.), therefore helping the Freudian reflection on the essence of art. Idolatry -­‐ The woman whose aura did not stop in Paris, who invented the spoken and sung and who married another Viennese man in 1897, the biologist Max Schiller, vanished into thin air in 1900, at the peak of her success. A serious kidney ailment shows her the limits of idolatry: no more acting, no more glamour, and no more admirers. En voilà une drôle d’affaire depicts Yvette Guilbert’s second life. Once she’s recovered, she goes to New York to teach the art of acting, singing and speaking at the David Mannes Music School. There, she creates a school, free for penniless young women. She then developed a repertoire her friend Freud was particularly affectionate of, freeing herself from La Pocharde or La Pierreuse and from Léon Xanroff’s crude words, to tell Les Anneaux de Marianson, a legend of the 16th century, Le Miracle de Saint-­‐Berthe or the punishment of the infanticide mother (Complainte d’une méchante, 17th century). Let down by her American creditor, Yvette Guilbert returns to her Parisian Empire with her, as she put it, ‘repertoire gants noirs’ (black gloves repertoire), singing La Morphinée (written with Jean Lorrain). Famous again. Nathalie Joly presents the Guilbert mystery with a liberating sobriety. First wearing a cabaret dress and then a kimono, in reference to the start of the 20th century japonism, and using folding screens and shadow plays, she grasps the scathing humour of Partie Carrée entre les Boudin et les Boutons (of Marcel de Lihus), a lengthy psychoanalysis case, as well as the popular dramaturgy of La chanson de Saint-­‐Nicolas (traditional French). At the end of one of the Un je ne sais quoi shows in 2009, a very old lady came to see her, offering her to look through some of Yvette Guilbert’s archives she had kept: there was an entire trunk full of unreleased scores, notebooks, etc. Treasures and perseverance fuel destiny. Véronique Mortaigne LIBERATION 02.01.2013 Nathalie Joly in the arms of Morphine -­‐ By François-­‐Xavier Gomez Cabaret. With ‘En v’là une drôle d’affaire’, the singer and actress continues to explore Yvette Guilbert’s unconventional universe, ‘diseuse’ (speaker) and queen of the Belle Epoque café-­‐concert. A strange ritual is currently taking place in the intimate Vieille Grille, historical lair of the French chanson, nestled between the Jardin des Plantes and the Mosquée de Paris (5th arrondissement). Cuckold husbands, chopped up children put in the salting tub, stabber pimps and pallid bourgeois on morphine pass before our eyes every night. ‘Rhythme fondu’. […] En v’là une drôle d’affaire pays tribute to Yvette Guilbert (1865-­‐1944), an idolised singer, drawn by Toulouse-­‐Lautrec. […] She imposed her own ‘diseuse’ genre, that she called ‘rythme fondu’ and which she defined in her mémoires as: ‘the science of turning words on and off, of putting them, depending on their meaning, in the shadow or in the light.’ As a singer and actress, Nathalie Joly has long taken a strong interest in the work and life of Yvette Guilbert. ‘When I was at the academy I was very interested in Kurt Weill and his Sprechgesang, the ‘spoken and sung’ she was the pioneer of’. In 2005, after her show Paris-­‐Bukarest, on the great Rumanian singer Maria Tanase, the heads of the Société psychanalitique de Paris (SPP, Parisian psychoanalytic Society) asked her to do a recital dedicated to Yvette Guilbert, on the occasion of the celebration of Sigmund Freud’s 150th birthday. How were the father of psychoanalysis and the Belle Epoque singer linked? By an admiration which later became a true friendship. […] In 2006, at La Mutualité, Nathalie Joly presents a selection of songs, ‘the ones which had something to do with the subconscious and sexuality’, in front of an audience of 800 international psychoanalysts. […] Variations. A real show, directed by Jacques Verzier, inspired by this recital, saw the light of day in 2008. […] There have now been more than 250 performances of Je ne sais quoi, in France and overseas, and in foreign languages such as Spanish or Portuguese. This show highlights with intelligence and humour the fact that trendy songs are a society’s subconscious. […] En v’là une drôle d’affaire, the second show dedicated to Yvette Guilbert, Jean-­‐Pierre Gesbert still at the piano, brings the finishing touch to the image given by Je ne sais quoi: cheeky tunes, popular and sad songs like La Pierreuse as well as medieval laments full of infanticides and serial-­‐killers. […] Yvette Guilbert’s split personalities, which fascinated Freud, stand out even more. Treasure. Good luck got in the middle of Nathalie Joly’s investigations on Yvette Guilbert. An elderly lady called the Vieille Grille one day to say that she had kept family souvenirs of Yvette Guilbert and that she wanted to give them to someone likely to be interested. ‘This very chic lady, a violinist, handed me two very thick folders overflowing with documents, says Nathalie Joly. Handwritten scores, letters, concert programs…’ Several unreleased songs of the show come from this unexpected treasure. One of them is particularly intriguing: La Morphinée. Yvette Guilbert says in her mémoires that it was one her greatest hits. But there is a problem: it was never burnt on a 78s and the score cannot be found. […] And, at just the right moment, the library of Radio France finds the lost score during an inventory. This song is still as fascinating as it used to be and shines bright like a black diamond. LE MONDE 25.12.2009 About Sigmund Freud’s interest for Yvette Guilbert, the most modern of the yesteryear singers. Nathalie Joly breathes new life into Madam Yvette’s ‘spoken and sung’. Because he was interested in women, art and their respective mysteries, Sigmund Freud had been captivated by Yvette Guilbert (1865-­‐19944). The Viennese doctor had come to Paris in 1890 to attend Professor Charcot’s consultations, a renowned specialist in hysteria. The cabaret singer began her career at the Eldorado, and the founder of psychoanalysis listened, speechless, to ‘Dites-­‐moi si je suis belle’, sung on a tortuous melody form the 14th century. Freud remained faithful to Toulouse-­‐Lautrec’s favourite model. The latter relentlessly drew her with a thin waistline, wandering eyes and long black gloves. In 1897, the most modern of the yesteryear singers married another Viennese man, Max Schiller. Later on, Freud hung up on his wall the portrait of this woman who fascinated Paris, until she became ill in 1900, next to the portrait of his friend and writer Lou Andreas-­‐Salomé. Freud maintained an exciting correspondence with the ‘diseuse de fin de siècle’, inimitable thanks to her ‘spoken and sung’. Passionate about this very European genre, Nathalie Joly has created a show called ‘Je ne sais quoi’, based on nineteen songs and eighteen unpublished letters, written between 1926 and 1939, when Freud was a refugee in London. She created it in 2008 on the Société française de psychoanalyse’s (French psychoanalysis Society) initiative, at the Cartoucherie de Vincennes, and will perform until December 31st with a pianist, Jean-­‐Pierre Gesbert, on the small stage of La Vieille Grille, a cabaret like very few remain in Paris. A fascinating box set which contains the songs from the show, as well as the text of the letters the Freud Museum of London gave her, has also been published. Of Yvette Guilbert, we remember her songs composed by Léon Xanrof -­‐ a Mr Fourneau, who transposed his name into Latin, fornax, and reversed it -­‐ which strongly influenced Barbara at her debuts in 1950. Songs such as ‘Le Fiacre’ or the wonderful ‘Maitresse d’acteur’ have travelled through time. Yvette Guilbert, the ‘diseuse’, put texts from Paul de Kock (Madame Arthur) and ancient themes (Verligodin) to music, or would take hold of fabulous tragedies such as La Glu (of Jean Richepin and Gounod) or La Soularde (Jules Jouy and Eugène Porcin). Freud questioned himself on the essence of art. On the one hand, Yvette Guilbert, who constantly changed registers – drama, humour; shady, prudish and cheeky characters; betrayed, cruel and naïve women, etc. On the other, Charlie Chaplin ‘who always plays the same role, that of a sickly, poor, defenceless, clumsy boy, for whom everything turns out fine. But do you think that to play this role he has to forget his own self? On the contrary, he only represents himself, as he was in his pitiful youth’, Freud wrote in a letter to Max Schiller, Madam Yvette’s husband. Concerning Yvette Guilbert, who has more than thirty ‘women’ in her repertoire, Freud receives the following reply from Max Schiller: ‘Yvette Guilbert has great concentration energy, a very acute sensitivity, an extraordinary imagination. I must add to all this a great sense of observation as well as a tremendous will to create in truth, were it to be at her expense.’ ‘Je ne sais quoi’ is a fascinating show, often funny, never graceless, and simple (directed by Jacques Verzier), with which one can rediscover realistic songs (La Soularde), fables (La Glum the story of a po’boy who kills his mother and takes her heart on the request of a cruel lover; on his way back, he runs, the heart falls, rolls down the path and asks him crying: ‘Have you hurt yourself my child?’); mischievousness (Quand on vous aime comme ça). Nathalie Joly sings wonderfully well, highlights the importance of the Moulin Rouge and Divan Japonais star, never rudely explaining the ‘je ne sais quoi’ which makes so many men fantasise on Madam Arthur. Véronique Mortaigne LIBERATION 18.12.2008 SIGMUND FREUD AND YVETTE’S INTERPRETATION Recital: At the Cartoucherie de Vincennes, Nathalie Joly bring back to life the repertoire of a queen of the ‘café-­‐concert’, the psychoanalyst’s muse… On the walls of his office in Vienna, Sigmund Freud was said to have had two portraits of women: Lou Andréas Salomé and the singer Yvette Guilbert. Was the father of psychoanalysis a fan of light-­‐hearted songs? Indeed. In 1890, whilst studying with the famous Professor Charcot, Freud discovered the singer at the beginning of her career, before she became the queen of the ‘café-­‐
concert’, a celebrity idolised by everybody who is anybody in Paris. From 1926 to 1939, the Viennese doctor corresponds with Yvette Guilbert. From these unpublished letters, Nathalie Joly has created an extremely funny and clever show, which makes you forget the lack of comfort of the venue. We can easily understand what fascinated Freud in the singer’s repertoire: the split personalities which allow her to embody all of the characters (‘elegant, virtuous or naïve women’, he says in one of his letters), the liberty of speech (often thanks to humour) when speaking of adultery, sexuality or feminism. But what made Yvette Guilbert the greatest singer of her time was above all her art of interpretation, thanks to a much nuanced ‘spoken and sung’. Her ‘hits’ (Le Fiacre, Madame Arthur) are modest ironic work of arts, but she also excelled in melodrama, never falling into the pathos of realistic singers. Particularly with La Glu, a fascinating gothic and quite gory tale (text: Jean Richepin, music: Charles Gounod). The show strings together songs and excerpts from letters (The Freud Museum of Vienna has kept 18 of them, written between 1926 and 1928), as well as dialogues between Nathalie Joly and her pianist. A century later, we still laugh when listening to ‘L’Eloge des vieux’ or to ‘L’Hôtel du numéro 3’. ‘Those who need napkins to eat, come down with their sheets / And the dog washes the plates / At the hotel of number 3’. François Xavier Gomez LE POINT 11.12.2008 Yvette Guilbert and Freud are reunited in Nathalie Joly’s show thanks to their correspondence. It’s the Paris Freud loved, with its said and unsaid things, handed on a plate. This unpublished correspondence can be found in a CD-­‐book (‘Je ne sais quoi’, Seven Doc), in between two songs from the show. ‘Dites-­‐moi que je suis belle’ was Freud’s favourite… Valérie Marin la Meslée. FRANCE CULTURE – L’oreille d’un sourd -­‐ 04.2008 ‘A delightful and very beautiful show by Nathalie Joly on Freud’s musical admiration for Yvette Guilbert. On the occasion of Nathalie Joly’s delightful show in which she sings the friendship between Yvette Guilbert and Sigmund Freud, David Jisse’s column tackles the question of the separation between music and psychoanalysis. […] Freud wrote: ‘It is maybe necessary to say that the analytical ear listens to the ‘meaning’ and neither to the sound nor the tune, and that there are two voices: the voice that talks and the voice that sings. Music is maybe of no use in psychoanalysis’ This modest column will not provide answers to all the questions, but I wanted to let Yvette Guilbert speak, as Nathalie Joly’s beautiful show has inspired this column.’ David Jisse TELERAMA ‘Inspired by Yvette Guilbert's songs and her correspondence with Freud. Yvette Guilbert, indisputable queen of the ‘café-­‐concert’ in 1890 Paris, represents for Freud the Paris of his youth. As their unpublished correspondence shows, he admired the humour, the tenderness and the cruelty of Yvette Guilbert’s lyrics. Nathalie Joly, actress and singer, depicts the improbable but real relationship between these two figures through songs and texts’. Sylviane Bernard-­‐Gresh LIBERATION 07.02.2010 JE NE SAIS QUOI ON THE COUCH Just like Madam Arthur ‘who was much, much, much talked about’ thanks to her ‘je ne sais quoi’, the show, already praised in our columns (Libération of December 18th, 2008), is more than successful: after the Cartoucherie de Vincennes, the Off d’Avignon and the Vieille Grille in December, it is now coming to the Lucernaire. Listening to the great Yvette Guilbert’s songs (1865-­‐1944) is always an immense pleasure, as Nathalie Joly excels in presenting the nuances and innuendos of this forgotten repertoire. But Je ne sais quoi is more than just a recital: it revolves around the correspondence between the singer and her admirer, Sigmund Freud, who discovered her when he came to Paris to attend Dr Charcot’s classes. In one of her letters, Yvette describes her art as ‘the science of turning words on and off, of putting them, depending on their meaning, in the shadow or in the light’. Dynamic and funny, Je ne sais quoi is a breath of fresh air which breathes new life into the forgotten essence of the ‘café-­‐concert’, a refuge for Parisian intellectuals and the liberty of speech. FX Gomez THE LIST, july 2013 http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/52374-­‐top-­‐5-­‐cabaret-­‐shows-­‐at-­‐the-­‐edinburgh-­‐festival-­‐fringe-­‐
2013 Site http://marchelaroute.free.fr Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGjcr3O7omc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNu0dB6PRyQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PEo93tdCn0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8cMElk4BcA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCOBWEhDVdU Calendar Part 2 -­‐ En v’là une drôle d’affaire, Nathalie Joly sings Yvette Guilbert 25 septembre au 3 novembre 2013 Le Lucernaire, Paris 6ème 17 octobre 2013 Antony, Auditorium du conservatoire (Théâtre Firmin Gémier hors les murs) 18 octobre 2013 Clichy sous bois espace 93 (sous chapiteau) 16 novembre 2013 Sens, TMS 28 novembre 2013 Caves Legrand Paris (Galerie Vivienne) 29 novembre 2013 Bessancourt (Festival du Val d’Oise) 7 décembre 2013 Sarcelles (Festival du Val d’Oise) 14 décembre 2013 Soissons, Le mail 15 – 31 Janvier 2014 Brésil Sao Paulo, … 14 février 2014 Ussel (Corrèze) 1er au 8 juin 2013 Tournée ACB Scène Nationale Bar le Duc hors les murs Part 1 -­‐ Je ne sais quoi, Nathalie Joly sings Yvette Guilbert 13 décembre 2013 Le Mail Soissons 29 mars 2014 Lanester Paris Bukarest, Nathalie Joly sings Maria Tanase 19 au 22 novembre 2013 La Vieille Grille Paris 5ème Mars 2014 Nordeste Brésil, Francophonie