The bewitchment
First production at Spa, the 13 th of August 2009, by the Spa Theatre Festival in co-production with Argan 42, with Delphine Charlier and Alix Mariaule, directed by Pascal Racan.
Synopsis
A play burning with contemporary issues.
A job she adores, a boss she reveres: Patricia has been HAPPY at work for sixteen years. But the boss hires Marylène, Patricia’s best friend, and little by little she will have to give up everything to her: her office, the dossiers she is working on, her projects, her position…
And Patricia will fade away like the snow, as this being placed on the sidelines becomes a genuine descent into hell for her.
A plea against harassment at work, the text throws light on the humiliations employees can be subjected to. Without being aware of it, the noose tightens on the unfortunate wretch to the point of pushing him or her to the edge of madness.
A very real subject served by lively and biting dialogue.
Extract
| Patricia | Do you often wear red? |
| Marylène | Always. Always a splash of red. Whether it’s a scarf, a necklace, a button… |
| Patricia | Is there a reason? Is it symbolic? |
| Marylène | I adore red. |
| Patricia | And apart from red? |
| Marylène | Yellow. |
| Patricia | I meant to say: in your life? Red isn’t your only reason for living? Do you have a real passion for something in your life? |
| Marylène | A passion? That’s a word that can be made to fit anything, passion… |
| Patricia | For me it’s music, dancing, the fusion of the mind and the body through music… Do you have a real passion? If it was taken away from you, would that stop you from living? |
| Marylène | … |
| Patricia | Have you never felt…? I don’t know what…? Is it a secret? … Go on, we’re friends, you can really tell me it…Do you well and truly have a reason to live? |
| Marylène | Did you know you have eyes like a hawk? |
Press
‘It is one of the great shows of the Spa Festival, as much for its two actresses as for its text and stage direction. Delphine Charlier and Alix Mariaule bewitch us, directed by a master hand with passion and skill by Pascal Racan, one of our great Belgian actors, who crosses from his actor’s profession to that of a director with ease. An hour and a half flashes past. Not to be missed.’ Roger SIMONS , Cinémaniacs
‘When tenderness and humour speak cruelty: Jean-Pierre Dopagne never disappoints. Through his two actresses, Alix Mariaule and Delphine Charlier, he denounces without aggression but with ‘light blows,’ all the while through tenderness, humour and accuracy, the foibles of society and the cruelty of the human spirit. Perceptive writing, studied and spicy.’ Olivia MOONEN, Le Jour
The play is published by Editions Lansman.
