Two years after offering the premiere of his show to the Villervillais, Théo Askolovitch triumphs in Avignon
By Sophie Quesnel
Published on
We were about thirty, in August 2020, to come out upset from the performance of Theo Askolovitch’s play. At the time, it was called 55 days and its author proposed a first reading in public within the framework of A festival in Villerville, the annual theater meeting organized in the village.
Two years later, with a new title, 66 daysand after a stint at the Comédie de Caen, Théo triumphed at the Avignon 2022 festival, which has just ended.
A true, painful story
In his first single on stage, produced in collaboration with the Comédie de Caen with François Rollin directing, Théo Askolovitch recounts, day after day, the cancer that sent him to Gustave Roussy hospital. He laughs to pretend not to be afraid, he speaks too loudly to tame his anger and his hatred. Why him ? He bullies his family, but keeps them late at night. He remembers his mother that an illness took from him when he was fourteen. He thinks of the pieces he would still like to play. He hopes that a victory for the French team in the World Cup will treat him as well as his feds. He’s funny when he’s not crying. Two years ago, Théo had torn tears from us which he dried the next second in a subtle pirouette.
The unanimity of criticism
The programmers of the Avignon festival, like their counterparts in Villerville a little earlier, were not mistaken in inviting the young author. The 66 days by Théo Askolovitch were unanimous in the city of the popes. Hailed by critics and by his peers, who came to applaud him, the actor received well-deserved waves of praise among designated: “A punch in the stomach. A shock ! A telluric moment, unforgettable, courageous, stunning and totally overwhelming! as written Provence.
The Inrocks also salute the actor’s performance and his moving spectacle: “From anecdote to anecdote, the incisive humor of Théo Askolovitch is revealed, who had his say when it was not necessary to weaken and keeps it, even today, at time to meet the public on a theater set. Also validation of Telerama : “A subject not frankly hilarious, that this actor, trained in the theater at Esca d’Asnières in particular, managed to deliver without pathos, but with a force, a sincerity and a disarming humor, all served by a raw text like a rap song. »
We fervently hope that the heads of cultural services present in Avignon, to do their shopping for next season, will have the good idea to give us this gift: invite Théo Askolovitch to the Côte Fleurie.
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