Le Chat du Rabbin, Joann Sfar's comic strip adapted into a musical at the Théâtre de l'Œuvre: our review

When the Rabbi's Cat swallows a parrot, he starts to talk, and above all, to say everything that comes into his head without any filter. Sometimes a philosopher, sometimes a questioner of the Jewish religion, the animal becomes, over the course of the albums, a true explorer of this cult. The hero of Joann Sfar's cult comic strip, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, Le Chat du Rabbin is now a musical show at Les Frivolités Parisiennes. The show, with orchestra, runs at the Théâtre de l'Œuvre from September 9 to 25, 2022.

Le Chat du Rabbin (The Rabbi's Cat), launched by Joann Sfar in 2002, already has 11 albums, the latest of which dates from 2021. The saga has already been adapted for the stage, in animated films and as a radio series. But The Rabbi's Cat had not yet become a musical. This is now a reality, thanks to Les Frivolités Parisiennes, a classical music orchestra that is constantly coming up with new shows. Most recently, they have presented Cole Porter in Paris and Normandie .

The show brings together 16 artists, 12 orchestra musicians and four singers on the stage of the Théâtre de l'Œuvre. The lyrics for this show, which follows a cat's quest for love, are by Oldelaf, with music by Matthieu Nichard and staging by Pascal Neyron.

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This show is suitable for children, who are even entitled to a special rate.

Our review:

With its retelling of the first volumes of Joann Sfar's comic strip, this musical succeeds in its aim: to make a musical that's as funny as it is enjoyable to listen to. Adapting this philosophical-religious comic strip into a musical was a daring gamble, and not the most obvious form for The Rabbi's Cat, but what the story loses in philosophy, and in questioning the Jewish religion, it gains in humor and situational comedy, omnipresent throughout the show. This makes it an ideal family show: there are plenty of children in the audience, and it's their laughter that's heard most.

Musically, Le Chat du Rabbin stands out from what we're used to hearing, as the story takes place in early 20th-century Algeria, in a Jewish family, and all these influences can be felt in the scores. Sometimes playful, sometimes oriental, sometimes liturgical, the tones played by the 12 musicians on stage are a pleasure to discover. Moreover, placing 16 artists on the tiny stage of the Théâtre de l'Œuvre may seem complicated, but the staging manages to place them without any sense of overcrowding.

Go now, there are only a few days of performances left!