If justice is said to be slow, there is a procedure that goes very quickly: the immediate appearance, heir to the "flag". The rule is simple: an offence committed, an arrest, custody and immediate judgment. Thirty minutes are enough to hand out months of prison.
In a setting that looks like a courthouse, director Michel Didym and Bruno Ricci, a solo actor, propose to give substance "without blah, blah, blah" to a striking gallery of portraits: defendants, police officers, lawyers, prosecutors, judges, all figures captured in Dominique Simonnot's legal columns, published in Le Canard enchaîné.
Together, and with concision, they raise the question of the treatment of French justice in the immediate courtroom. The trio conducts an investigation and offers a selection of funny and upsetting chronicles. Nothing is invented, not a word, not a sentence, not a sentence. Everything has been scrupulously transcribed. Everything is true.
"Bruno Ricci is breathtaking in his flawless interpretation of the many characters he takes the time to portray one by one, both vocally and physically. From Nanterre to Paris, Bobigny, Toulon or Marseille, it's a real tour of France's judicial system where we see small and big offenders, first time offenders and repeat offenders, but also undocumented immigrants and sick people and magistrates who are overwhelmed by the number of cases and their insane working hours. With his bare hands and voice, he manages to bring all this little world to life, composing each one with density and humour, far from any caricature.
Marina Da Silva, L'Humanité, January 2020
Types
- Theatre
- Art and shows
- Theatre