From his first performance at the age of five in front of the Tsar to his imprisonment after the Liberation, through the eleven schools Guitry was expelled from, Jacques Sereys gleans snippets, anecdotes and quotes from Guitry’s autobiographical writings to paint the picture of a character deeply in love with life. From his debut and his quarrel with his father to success, their reconciliation and his enlistment in the army, it’s all theatre material, even in the texts that are not derived from his dramatic work. He shares his thoughts on life, his passion for women and the all-importance of money. Guitry’s love of the imagination guided the composition of this show portraying a mythical figure of French theatre

Sacha Guitry, the author
Actor, playwright, director, producer, songwriter, artist and journalist... Sacha Guitry (1885-1957) made use of all the means of expression available to him to provide his contemporaries with a psychological analysis of social relations ranging from irony to nonchalance, and sarcasm to tenderness. The son of Lucien Guitry, himself an actor and theatre manager, and the spiritual heir to Sarah Bernhardt, he spanned the gap between the generation of legends and the artistic world of his time, of which he was a major figure. His dandyism elevated him to the status of an ambassador of a certain French stylishness. A tireless worker despite his poor health, and a prolific author, he was a success both on stage and in cinema, in particular thanks to his talent for writing dialogue.

Jean-Luc Tardieu, the director
Jacques Sereys, an honorary sociétaire of the Comédie-Française, performs this montage of texts and songs by Guitry under the friendly but rigorous eye of Jean-Luc Tardieu. They continue the collaboration forged nearly ten years ago that has successively led to Cocteau/Marais, Du côté de chez Proust (winner of Molière award for best actor in 2006) and À la recherche du temps Charlus. After Jean Cocteau and Marcel Proust, Si Guitry m’était conté (If Guitry Was a Story) again explores the world of a great writer while reviving the spirit of an era and the elegance of a style. Guitry’s theatre exudes a certain idea of happiness that strikes a chord with Jacques Sereys, an appealing optimism and a humour that is both light and wise. This life made of wonderful encounters and adventures to some extent also recounts Jacques Sereys’ personal journey. From the kid who grew up in Marseille to the sociétaire of the Comédie-Française, he has always sought to express his love of life with a sense of joy that defies time.

Textes : Sacha Guitry
Adaptation et interprétation : Jacques Sereys
Mise en scène : Jean-Luc Tardieu
Lumières : Jacques Rouveyrollis
Assistante aux lumières : Jessica Duclos
Scénographie : Pierre-Yves Leprince

et
Françoise Ferrand : pianiste-chef de chant de l’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra national de Paris