A Picasso by Jeffrey Hatcher at The Theatre de Nesle - 8 rue de Nesle 75006, Paris - From October 22nd until November 15th, 2015. Thursday through Saturday at 9pm in French, Sundays at 7pm in English.
The Theatre de Nesle, which is two steps away from Picasso’s studio
(7 rue des Grands Augustins), where he created his famous painting, Guernica, held a strange evocation of an episode in the life of Picasso during the Nazi occupation.
The play deals with three of Picasso's paintings confiscated by the Nazi’s, which will serve as fuel for the burning of degenerate art work.
The author of the play A Picasso, Jeffrey Hatcher, succeeds not only with his audience but also with the character of Picasso in this suspense drama that concerns the death sentence of Picasso’s artwork, making the journey even more intriguing and painful as it concerns the already famous Picasso as creator of Guernica.
Picasso is trapped and summoned by a beautiful official Nazi woman to choose one out of the three confiscated pieces of work to be submitted to the bonfire. This is an opportunity for him to defend his paintings so he must declare them all fakes in order to save them from the bonfire.
His interrogator, Mademoiselle Fischer intends to push the artist Picasso until he has no other entrenchment to hide under. We truly understand why at the end of the play. The revelation is very moving.
This original play directed by Natalia Lazarus does not lack flavor and even takes erotic turns. Jeffrey Hatcher seems very well informed about the life and work of Picasso. Audiences will be astonished to learn from the mouth of Picasso that Apollinaire had a homosexual crush on him. And why not?
Natalia Lazarus, excellent, incarnates a Mademoiselle Fischer that is consumed and fed from within. The performance is emotionally shattering. Charles Fathy gives all of himself to his interpretation of the Picasso character.
A great moment of theatre where at first one feels that nothing will happen and then slowly and casually the unveiling of the personality of this artist begins to happen and it sounds and feels real, as Picasso still haunts the area. Let’s thank the Americans for reminding us of this so nicely!
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