Marvelous chance or the itinerary of an unspoiled child

“Little whore”that’s what her father called his daughter Sylvie. “ It’s cute, right? It’s engaging. It gives faith in existence”begins Brigitte Guedj who lends him her life force. As an adult, who became a handball coach in Aubervilliers, in her hometown, Sylvie has forgotten nothing. “My little story had such an impact on the world, that humanity is doing better thanks to me, do you believe me? “, she asks the audience. Who believes it straight away. As a child, Sylvie Chalom is so alone that she invents friends, an ashtray or a mailbox. The separation from Mr. Oscar, her teddy bear, traumatized her.

Memories come to the surface when Sylvie Chalom leaves with her team of girls for Constantine to represent France in the “Friendship Tournament”. First “wonderful coincidence”title of this only in humanist scene, her family left Algeria when she was a child in 1962. The second. Thanks to the match she could find « Tata Viviane »his mother’s sister who married there with a “Arab”. Her father would slap the little girl if she asked him about him.

Originally, the text by Jean-Christophe Dollé awarded the Beaumarchais SACD scholarship in 2016 was entitled Handball or Wonderful Chance. It is inspired by the life of Brigitte Guedj, the trajectory of a trampled woman whose identity was denied. “She had a story to tell, her story made up of incredible coincidences, magnificent encounters, emotions, frustrations and pain”writes the author.

Without sentimentality or pathos

Jewish, unloved, ignored, Sylvie Chalom will rise again with courage. In Constantine, she encounters ghosts from the past and comes face to face with reality. An ordinary heroine, she advocates equality between men and women, religions and love for others despite differences. This without sentimentality or pathos. Sylvie remains upright and dignified.

Sparkling gaze, his interpreter inhabits him entirely, embodying a handball player, the stern father, Soufian, the captain of the handball team or Tata Viviane. Her performance, enhanced by the direction of the benevolent Laurent Natrella, former member of the Comédie-Française, reveals an astonishing actress. Film buffs and viewers know the face and voice of Brigitte Guedj, they have noticed her in cinema and on television, particularly in series (A wonderful family) and dubbing (Homeland, Rabbids…).

Coming from the Gérard Philipe theater, the actress who admires Wajdi Mouawad is far from being unknown in the theater. She studied drama at the Charles Dullin school then with Jacqueline Duc, ex-resident of the Français. She served Molière, Hugo, Feydeau and Queneau. She was recently on tour with The invention of our livesa play adapted from the novel by Karine Tuil and directed by Johanna Boyé. After The wonderful chanceshe will set off again on the roads of France with The imaginary patientridden by Tigran Mekhitarian.

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