Le Prénom with Cartman and Jean-Luc Lemoine at the Apollo Théâtre

One question asked over dinner is enough to shatter a family’s certainties. In What’s in a Name?, Vincent announces what he wants to name his unborn child, turning a friendly dinner into a reckoning. Cartman and Jean-Luc Lemoine bring this comedy back to the Apollo Théâtre, in a production directed by Éric Laugérias.

Vincent, played by Cartman, is having dinner at his sister Élisabeth’s house with her husband, Pierre, played by Jean-Luc Lemoine. Claude, a childhood friend, is initially at the table too, while Anna, Vincent’s partner, is running late. The questions about impending fatherhood seem like ordinary dinner conversation—until they get to choosing a name. The discussion then takes a turn: everyone reveals their judgments, sensitivities and the scores they are keeping against one another.

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Written by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, the play is built around a pressure-cooker setting in which family intimacy becomes a battleground. The humor comes from the contrast between the outward cordiality and what the characters eventually say to one another. The ensemble cast puts family ties and tensions among friends at the heart of the evening.

The cast also includes Aurélia Ciattoni, Laurence Pierre and François Raison. The production is presented by Les Grands Théâtres and Jérôme Foucher. The Paris run comprises thirty performances, offering a chance to rediscover the text with this ensemble of five actors.

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