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photos ©linda
compagnoni walther
I grew up at a time, where
one couldn't just quickly travel to cities like
London, New-York, Rio de Janeiro or Paris!
Paris...! That is where my heart
always beats faster...the Eiffel tower, the much
sung about River Seine, fashion made by
designers like
Pierre Cardin, Dior, Coco Chanel
and world-famous
Restaurant Maxim's!
Before
2009 I had never set foot in this
prestigious house, founded by
Maxime Gaillard
(purchased in 1981 by famous clothing designer
Monsieur Pierre Cardin) visited by such personalities
like Jean Cocteau,
Marcel Proust, Onassis, Georges Feydeau (who
wrote the popular comedy
La dame
de chez Maxim (The Girl From Maxim's
) whose main role has
been for years successfully performed by Véronique
Fourcaud!
In any case, we were now on our way to
this magical, sometimes mythical
Restaurant and in our company Claudine Ancelot!
Memories from my last visit came back;
when I went to see Gerard Chambre &
troupe in his amazing and very sucessful
play Le petit groom de chez Maxim's!
In due course, we entered Maxim's Restaurant, decorated with
objects from the Art
Nouveau period.We
searched for a suitable place, admiring the
gracefulness,of the restaurant, from the interior to the color of
the furniture, mirrors, lamps and the famous
monumental ceiling! We sat down on a comfortable
sofa, smiling at Claudine, who shared our
pleasant anticipation for the upcoming spectacle with
Gérard Chambre's Cocteau Guitry chez Maxim's!
Needless to say, Frédérique and I were most
exhilarated - not only did we have the immense pleasure to spend an evening with
Claudine
Ancelot - no - we were going to watch, the
much talked about, new and very successful
musical of
Gérard Chambre - and - going to
witness, after over twenty years, the first meeting
between La Dame de Montsalvy and Jean de Xaintrailles, known nowadays as Claudine Ancelot and
Gérard Chambre .
I am sure, everyone who
adores the TV-Series "Catherine, il suffit d'un amour", will
understand want went through my head! To
meet with two of the main characters at the same
time, in the same room...wow...that was
something else. How
could I stay this calm?
The spectacle started at 20.30 on time. The first part of the show was
called:
N'écoutez
pas Messieurs
a one act play by
Sacha Guitry,
starring Gérard Chambre and the fantastic and
ingenious Véronique Fourcaud. It was funny,
fast, hilarious and sexy! We absolutely adored
it...! The laughter in the audience was
proof of the excellent performance.
The second part was called:
Le
Boœf sur le Tôa
a
Cabaret
burlesque
with
15
presentations and 17 chansons, written and
and directed by Gérard Chambre.
What a show it was! Without going
over the top...it had everything which makes an
audience go along with the artists - it was funny, sexy, humorous,
tender, full of rythm, jazz, performing at its
best!
A must for everyone
who wants to spend a really delightful evening!
We smiled, applauded to the music of Fabrice Coccitto and the songs written by
Gérard Chambre. Claudine like us, was enjoying herself heavenly!
My report would never end, if I was to write
about everything. However, I must emphasize how
wonderful it was to hear Gerard and his singers
Je suis Snob
Mika
Apamian with Amédée or Véronique Fourcaud as
Marlene Dietrich sing LOLA! One word UNIQUE...!
After the last chansons, the audience, totally
enchanted, demanded and was rewarded with three
more encores.
The entertainers bowed the last time and Gérard
Chambre, waved in our direction,
before he vanished behind the curtain! We looked
at each other, still a big smile on our faces,
saying in one accord that we had been greatly
entertained by Véronique Fourcaud, Virginie
Colette ,
Mika Apamian, Fabrice Coccitto and
Gérard Chambre.
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Everyone was slowly getting
up, either to go home or have a last drink at
Maxim's. Claudine was recognized by another popular
actor, with whom she had once played together and
while we discreetly waited, Gérard Chambre, (looking
dashing in his white jacket), came smiling
towards us. He greeted us charmingly while we
waited for Claudine. We congratulated him on his
latest spectacle and praised the ensemble. Then Claudine
came back...! Frédérique and I stood back,
watching,with a happy smile the reunion of those two adorable and important former
colleagues of
the
Catherine series. It was
such an unforgettable moment! We looked at each other,
beaming, saying in one accord: what a tremendous evening,
incredible in every way, we are able to attend
tonight! We
joined Claudine and Gérard, who waved to us to
join them and sipped a glass of
champagne. We were introduced to the other stars
of the show and Frédérique took this amazing
photo of Claudine Ancelot and Gérard Chambre.
It was one of those evenings,
one wishes would never come to an end! We said
good-bye to Gérard Chambre, who was much sought
after by the remaining guests, waved one last
time, and walked out of "Maxim's "with Claudine.
It was time to say au-revoir...we hugged each other warmly, promising to meet
soon again and watched our Catherine cross the
street. We walked quietly a few steps, each of
us sunken in their own thoughts.We walked
quietly a few steps, each of us with their own
thougths. Then, I had to, turned my head around
and say that Claudine did the same. She waved a
last goodbye and pat the heavy backpack where
she had put all the treasures that we had
brought to her. This gesture, I admit, touched
us so deeply and made us even more greatful of
the sincere friendship Claudine is offering us.
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Dear Claudine, Dear
Gérard
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We thank you so much for the
wonderful evening we all
spent together. For
the kindness and
understanding you
have for our passion. And
last but not least, for
proving that sometimes
dreams can come true! Very
fondly, Linda and
Frédérique |
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