Paris

For those of you who know us well, it will not surprise that this posting is a tad late. We got back from Paris in the middle of March. I (Ellen) last wrote to you from Warwick, where we were staying at the convention center adjacent to the University’s campus. “Tea and buns” was lovely as the folks in charge of the theatre were most welcoming.

Warwick provided me with a number of “firsts”. I don’t believe I had ever before overheard a conversation on a university campus that began, “What are you giving up for Lent this year?”, nor had I ever heard geese calling in the night, or experienced eggs in cream.

As I (Ken) wrote then, I didn’t go to Warwick. I flew to Paris and joined Ellen and the crew there.

We spent two weeks in Paris. Of course Ellen was working the first week. “Best Before” was chosen to open a new theatre complex, the Gaite Lyrique. It was a big deal in Paris and security was tight. A rehearsal was interrupted when they brought in the bomb-sniffing dog to check the theatre. The mayor was coming to the building’s opening night.

You couldn’t get into the theatre building without a ticket or an official badge. Since I had neither, I thought I might have to go through the official channels and get a ticket instead of just wandering in with the crew as I had done in all the other venues where Ellen performed. It turned out that it wasn’t a problem. Ellen just flashed her performer’s pass and told the guard at the gate that I was her manager. He waved me in.

Our second week allowed us to do some sightseeing. We did visit a couple of the museums but found that the half hour lineup just to get in and the crowds inside detracted from the pleasure of viewing the great art. Instead we had the most fun wandering through the markets and the neighbourhoods, especially around Montmartre.

We were staying at le 300 Hotel which is just around the block from the Bastille Opera House. We had a kitchenette and, since we were staying the extra week, we benefited from the food and beverage purchases that Ellen’s crewmates couldn’t consume before leaving. Imagine the impulse purchases from several tourists in Paris.

We were staying just a few blocks from the Place d’Aligre, a busy market with a flea market attached, where we shopped almost every day. A great discovery was le Baron Rouge, a wine bar where we could bring our bottles and have them refilled from the cask. Good wine at cheap prices. On Sunday the sidewalks there were crowded with people using car hoods and dumpsters as tables for their wine glasses and plates of oysters that were being shucked in front of the bar. This is life in Paris.


After 78 performances in 15 cities in 10 countries, it appears that the ride may be over. While there have been inquires about people’s availability through 2012 and rumors of potential runs in places as varied as Moscow and Seoul, the crew is off to other projects and it appears that the show may have run its course. But as our friend Marian said, “If I were a Buddhist, I would know why Ellen became a flagger.”

We wish to thank Rimini Protokoll for dreaming up the idea, PuSh for producing and promoting it, as well as treating both of us very well on the tour, Gabe for making it possible for me to follow along on the tour, and Penny for helping set up this blog. If this goes any further, you will be the first to know.