Cut! Des Histoires, des Vies, Mathilda May's new play: Our opinion

Presented for two evenings at the Théâtre des 2 Rives in Charenton, Mathilda May's new play Cut! Des Histoires, des Vies, will run again next January, from January 13 to 17, 2026, at the Grande Halle de La Villette. As usual, the director's play is a fast-paced succession of sketches (over thirty in an hour and a half!).

Sometimes absurd (cows watching a train go by, strangers stuck in an elevator, a strange creature in the jungle), often critical, but always without heaviness and with a dose ofhumor and cynicism, the scenes move at high speed, carried by a lively cast of three women and three men.

With varying degrees of seriousness, these suspended moments (some of them actually suspended, with the six actors miming slow motion for an exquisitely cinematic effect) tell the story of our time, its emptiness, its limits, but also the human feelings that run through our existence.

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As minimalist as its subject matter, Cut! 's quick-change staging, meticulous sound work and full use of space (so much fun at the back of the stage) are sure to make even the most weary theatregoer love theater.

From hunting accidents and selfie-taking to problems of resources in hospitals and nursing homes, from the media circus on TV sets to the metoo in cinema, Mathilda May's new creation hits the nail on the head. A play firmly rooted in the times it sets out to capture.