Monday, May 3, 2010

'Address Unknown' in Caen

poster from www.ultimachamada.fr
 Please also read this post on 'A Russian Review of Books'

8-9 May 2010 marks the 65th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe
Tomorrow, 4 May 2010, in Caen-Mondeville the French theatre troupe Ultima Chamada performs a stage version of 'Address Unknown' (Inconnu à cette addresse or, in German, Adressat Unbeknownt), a super-bestselling story by American Kathrine  Kressman Taylor, based on true events leading up to the Holocaust. Tragic as it is, it's also extremely funny. And if there is one holocaust story everyone should read, this is the one. 

If you can't make it, there is a clip of the performance on the compagnie's  web-site.

And the book is available in most French mediatheques, because it was a huge bestseller in France in 1995 - the 50th anniversary of the liberation of nazi concentration camps. The second time it became so. Before that, in 1930s, it was one of the first stories to open eyes of Americans to show what was happening in nazi Germany.  And the author Kressman Taylor, then in her 90-s, was happily signing copies and giving interviews. If you do buy the book, make sure you get the edition with her son's moving afterword.

The stage version is set to music by Gershwin, Bach, Bernstein and Kurt Weill. 

Play at
Mondeville,
La Renaissance
4 May, Tuesday
starts at 20:30

2 comments:

  1. Hi
    Thanks for the twitter follow! If you haven't seen it , you might like to join http://survivefrance.com and in particular, check out the rural writers group on there. We're a friendly lot and as you'll see, everyone uses their real name and uploads a picture - the only membership criteria - so that we all 'know' who we are talking to. Makes the site friendly and professional.Hopefully see you there soon, best wishes Catharine

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  2. thanks for the invite, I'll have a look.
    Alex

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