A comedy by Jean-Pierre Martinez
Translation by the author
Peter and Karen have invited a couple they met at a restaurant, with whom they vaguely get along, for drinks. But since then, they’ve all had time to sober up, and they realise they don’t have much in common to share. It looks like it might be a long evening. Unless…
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The song from the play. Lyrics and music Jean-Pierre Martinez. This song may be used as part of a stage production, simple request to the author and without any additional fees. The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.
When the Social Veneer Dissolves in Alcohol
After hitting it off in a restaurant during a heavily lubricated evening, two couples from completely different backgrounds meet again over another round of drinks. Once sober, they realise they have nothing in common and already regret the invitation. What was supposed to be a one-off encounter turns into a confrontation between two social worlds that regard each other with equal condescension.
The comic mechanism relies on the gradual disappearance of social conventions. As champagne gives way to pastis, awkwardness turns into hostility, then into an increasingly dangerous familiarity. Asides, shifting alliances and alcohol-fuelled confidences reveal in each character what politeness had until then kept unspoken.
Beneath the appearance of a popular farce, the play offers a biting satire of social prejudice and marital respectability. Each couple initially sees the other as a caricature, only to discover that they share the same frustrations, resentments and sometimes the same impulses. The mixture of pastis and champagne thus becomes the metaphor for an unlikely and explosive coming together, driven by four evenly balanced roles in a fast-paced, confined setting.