© Laura Gilli and Élise Augustynen.
In the myriad of rising stars who’ve "eaten a clown," comedians Rosa Bursztein, François Mallet, and Gabriel Donzelli embody a new wave of hilarious talent already dethroning the veterans of punchlines in our hearts. They will have you roaring with laughter: our shortlist of the best comedy shows to book before they sell out!
Rosa Bursztein
The stage beast. Discovered in 2012 by John Malkovich, she played the role of the innocent Cécile de Volanges in his play Les Liaisons dangereuses at the Théâtre de l'Atelier. She has also appeared in films, notably Deux moi by Cédric Klapisch in 2019. In 2018, she created her first stand-up show titled Ma première fois, which she performed at the Théâtre Pixel during the Avignon Off Festival before landing at the Comédie de Paris last year. Known for her self-mockery and her sex-intellectual humor, she is back on stage in Paris with a new hilarious show.
What’s it about? In her new show Dédoublée, Rosa continues her story about the search for love and her (often catastrophic) relationships with guys. Between rude men, gross dates, or unambitious partners, the characters she sketches are laugh-out-loud funny. But here’s the good news: she’s found a competent guy, though that doesn’t stop him from being a target in this seul-en-scène that shoots straight from the hip. With loads of self-deprecation, Rosa doesn’t shy away from addressing her contradictions as a bad feminist, bad environmentalist, and bad leftist! She also reflects on her Ashkenazi family history (so sweet: a recording of her grandmother speaking to her in Yiddish) while questioning our times. A little gem of a show, both sharp and hilarious.
Dédoublée, Rosa Bursztein, at Théâtre Lepic. Thursdays at 7 p.m. until November 21st.
© Élise Augustynen.
François Mallet
The stage beast. François Mallet is 28 years old. After warming up on the Lyon comedy scene, he finally made his way to Paris to present his show Heureux soient les fêlés. Alongside this seul-en-scène (which passed through the Avignon Off Festival last summer), the comedian also unveiled Insolents, a nine-episode autofiction series about the daily lives of young comedians trying to carve their path in the small world of Lyon comedy.
What’s it about? Bipolar, gay, and (still today!) a figure skater, if François had been born in the United States, he’d long be headlining with Céline Dion as his opening act. In the meantime, he’s performing at the micro-theater Le Métropole, delivering a show to intimate audiences, delighting them with his jokes that blend dark humor and self-deprecation. The comedian showcases his not-always-easy life journey, marked by mental and physical health struggles, punctuating the emotional highs and lows with dynamic and utterly mesmerizing choreography. His go-to accessory? His health insurance card. Being gay and a figure skater is common, being bipolar and gay happens, but all three at once? There’s only one, and you should definitely go meet him!
Heureux soient les fêlés, François Mallet, at Théâtre Le Métropole. Tuesdays at 7 p.m. until January 7, 2025.
© Margot Raymond.
Gabriel Donzelli
The stage beast. Valérie Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm share a child, Gabriel, now 22 years old. An age he almost didn’t reach. In La Guerre est déclarée, a film released in 2010 and directed by Valérie Donzelli herself, she brings to the big screen the harrowing battle she and Jérémie Elkaïm fought after learning that their son was diagnosed with a brain tumor at just one year old. A tumor pompously named rhabdoid of the pontocerebellar order. A truly cathartic show, C’est bientôt fini is Gabriel’s personal take on the obstacles that have marked his life.
What’s it about? With this very first show, Gabriel Donzelli delivers a hilarious yet touching self-portrait. Having lived a life out of sync with his peers, he recounts his unique journey and the super cringe-worthy situations he’s endured, with a lot of self-deprecation. On stage, he shares his absolutely extraordinary life path with disarming authenticity, animating his monologue by taking on various little characters—sometimes devilish, sometimes charming—who have crossed his path. From the screenwriter of his life, determined to stop him from finding a girlfriend, to his mother’s friend tasked with explaining the concept of masturbation, the patchwork that has been Gabriel Donzelli’s life is a beautiful lesson in resilience and self-acceptance. Not to be missed!
C’est bientôt fini, Gabriel Donzelli, at Théâtre du Marais. Special performances on October 19, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., November 8 & 9, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., and January 2, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
© Laura Gilli.
Also discover Clovis Cornillac as Claude Monet, or the five-star cast of the new work by Samuel Benchetrit.
