Basse Normandie

Basse Normandie is based on true events. Protagonists Simon Reggiani (the son of actor, singer, poet Serge Reggiani) and Patricia Mazuy are also husband and wife in real life. They filmed the creation of one of Simon’s plays and reenacted events. Simon Reggiani prepares for a solo show based on a text by Dostoyevsky (Notes from the Underground) that he will perform largely on horseback, including dressage. The administration of the French Basse Normandie region is involved in this play in order to improve its image. With their support, Simon will perform the play in front of an audience of 1700 farmers during the Salon de l’Agriculture in Paris. The director of a large stud farm that aims to be the ‘Villa de Medici of the equestrian world’, provides rehearsal space for the actor. What follows is – partly told in flashback – the path that Reggiani had to take to create the piece. A path filled with obstacles in the form of awkward stable staff, a grumpy horse, an absent client and, to top it all off: vocal problems. An intriguing and occasionally absurd mixture of theatre registration, making-of docudrama, mockumentary and dressage lesson. (SdH)