In Paris, Brexit Takes to the Stage – The New York Times

Ella, the sole 21st-century character, learns at the start that she is pregnant and, after losing consciousness, finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, grappling with family memories. She becomes Jeanne, her great-grandmother, who loses her daughter Rosa after divorce; Rosa, who undergoes an illegal abortion; and Zena, from another side of the family, who hemorrhages during the delivery of her son in Yemen.

There is at times too much back story packed into this one-hour show, to the point that Ellas growth as a character remains limited. But Anis, who was named an associate playwright with the Thtre Grard Philipe in 2020, paints a vivid, often poetic picture of the womens shared trauma, both in her writing and onstage.

Her ability to physically transform from scene to scene one minute a nearly feral presence with hair over her face, the next a shy young mother-to-be is a rare gift, and the director of The Monstrous Ones, her frequent collaborator Karim Hammiche, makes way for her to explore it freely.

Hammiche joins her onstage for a few scenes, as Ellas doctor during her hospital stay, but this is very much Aniss show. For French high school students, it offered an opportunity to explore a darker, rarely discussed side of being a mother. Now, at long last, productions like The Monstrous Ones are playing in theaters again.

Exit. Directed by Patrick Alluin. Thtre de la Huchette, through Aug. 28.

The Monstrous Ones. Directed by Karim Hammiche. Thtre Grard Philipe. Further performances to be announced.

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In Paris, Brexit Takes to the Stage - The New York Times