Code name of the evening: "Back to culture". The European has a sense of the formula. The hall, located near Place de Clichy in Paris (17th century), announces this Thursday, June 11, the opening of the ticket office for a humor show like no other, the first of the post-deconfinement organized indoors in the capital . A set that will bring together, on June 22 at 8 p.m., the cream of the new generation, from Bun Hay Mean to Paul Taylor, via Aymeric Lompret and Tania Dutel. "We have to restart the machine," insists Sébastien Beslon, the director of the hall. Show the public, but also the profession, that it is possible to get together in a performance hall. "
The date is obviously not chosen at random. It is on this Monday that the Ile-de-France theaters will be able to reopen their doors, three weeks after those in the provinces. A "D-Day" which, unlike cinema, will not be synonymous with a massive recovery: a very large majority of Parisian theaters do not expect to return to normal before September. The main fault is still draconian measures (a chair apart between different groups of spectators, in particular).
Germicidal light to clean the room
At the European, we first pulled out the ruler and the square. By reconfiguring the room and respecting the sanitary instructions to the letter, management has managed to free up 240 places (against 350 in normal times). "I hope that by then the directives will evolve and that, like trains or planes, we can envisage a normal gauge", discount Sébastien Beslon. For him, the main challenge of this “Back to Culture” evening will be to “reassure” the public.
And for that, he did not skimp on the means, in addition to the hydroalcoholic gel and staff reinforcement. His secret boot: a disinfection system, usually used in hospitals, based on the emission of germicidal light. Forty neon lights that will clean the room in half an hour. "A transfer of technology from the medical community by adapting it to the requirements of the performing arts," sums up Sébastien Beslon. It's a world first! "A" financial investment "which allows him to protect the public, but also his staff and the students of the art school which cohabits with the theater. Another tip, this time to "demystify the queue": on June 22, a dozen "street artists" will participate in the operation "each his meter" and decorate the surroundings of the theater.
"I can't wait to laugh again"
And the comedians, how do they envisage this recovery? "I've never had such a long break," says Paul Taylor. I will be more nervous than during my last dates in rooms with 1000 seats. But I can't wait to find the laughter, the sound it makes. Impossible for humorists, of course, to ignore the context. "But when we manage to laugh about this kind of tension there, it can be twice as strong", points out Paul Taylor.
After this “Return to Culture”, the European should remain open all summer with the new Kheiron show, which will be on display from July 3. Other stand-up rooms will follow. Fary's comedy club, "Madame Sarfati", will also reopen on June 22 for an exceptional show, before a real resumption on July 9. Some (rare) Parisian cinemas are also planning a studious summer. A life-saving recovery for comedians. "It's like cars," compares Paul Taylor. We were asked to roll them up a bit during confinement: we are the same, we must avoid rust! "
