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Brawl [Rixe]
Author(s): Jean-Claude Grumberg
Henri Laurent (called Riton) comes home from work feeling nervous and tired. He is worried because he got into a fight at work. As Riton discusses the fight with his wife, Aimée, the couple's paranoia begins to set in. They feel surrounded by foreign “scum": Arabs, Portuguese, Spaniards. Grumberg highlights the racist prejudices of the couple during their discussion about the Holocaust. As they talk about the persecution of the Jews by the Germans in World War II, Riton states: "The Krauts made mince meat of them." ("Les Boches ils en ont fait des petits pâtés.") Holed up in their apartment, the couple feels besieged. They see themselves as the victims of a new invasion. And this time, the police are on the side of the foreigners. This play is part of the collection The Others (Les Autres)—with Holiday (Les Vacances), Michu, The Redheads (Les Rouquins), and The Gnoufs (Les Gnoufs). All focus on the fear and the threat of otherness.
Format: One-act drama
Cast Size: 1M/1F
Character breakdown:
Henri Laurent (Riton)
Aimée Laurent, Henri’s wife
(and the police)
Notes:
Reference material: Une Semaine de Paris-Pariscope n° 245, 249, 252.
The play has been adapted several times. Among the most important adaptations are the following:
1) Directed by Jean-Paul Roussillon (With Jean-Paul Roussillon as Henri; Bérengère Dautun as Aimée), Comédie Française, 1971.
2) Directed by Pierre Peyrou; performed by Compagnie Thomas-Peyrou; with Arlette Thomas, Claude Bertrand, Paris (France): Théâtre Présent-La Villette, 1973-01. Reference(s): Une Semaine de Paris-Pariscope n° 245, 249, 252.
3) Directed by Jean-Paul Roussillon; produced by Théâtre de l’Odéon in co-production with Comédie-Française; sets and costumes by André Acquart; with Jean-Paul Roussilon (Henri), Catherine Ferran (Aimée), Paris (France): Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe (Jacques Toja), 11-09-1982. Note(s): Performed at the Petit-Odéon. On the same program: “Les Vacances” by the same author.
Snapshot
Original or Prominent Production:
First performed in 1968 in Amiens, France, directed by Jean-Pierre Miquel. Also presented in 1971 at the Comédie Française, Paris, directed by Jean-Paul Roussillon.
First performed in 1968 in Amiens, France, directed by Jean-Pierre Miquel. Also presented in 1971 at the Comédie Française, Paris, directed by Jean-Paul Roussillon.
Nationality of Author: French
Original Language: French
Publisher:
Avant-Scène Théâtre, April 1971. Title of the 5 short plays (“Les autres”: “Les Vacances,” “Michu,” “Rixe,” “Les “Rouquins,” “Les Gnoufs”) edited by Actes Sud Papiers, 1985. Also in “Les courtes” Babel N° 159.
Experience(s) Chronicled: Germany, Hitler and the Growth of Nazism | Allegoric or Metaphoric Representations
HTC Insights
Views, reference and research of interest.
Lifetime Achievement Award
On September 30, 2024, French playwright, Mr. Jean Claude Grumberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was presented by NJTF HTII President, Arnold Mittelman with Dominique Trimbur, PhD-Manager for the History of Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Teaching of the Holocaust of Fondation Pour La Memoir de la Shoah Project.
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