A 90-minute show celebrating the Entente Cordiale
On September 17 I gave a "words and music" talk at the Château d'Hardelot (the Centre Culturel de l'Entente Cordiale, where I curated the permanent exhibition).
The format was simple – I told a series of stories from Anglo-French history, each of which was illustrated by a song from the period. I've tracked down songs going back to the Hundred Years War, and commenting on events right through to the First World War, making fun of, or glorifying, people like Henry V, Marlborough, Napoleon, Wellington and of course the architect of the Entente Cordiale, Edward VII, nicknamed by the French "the most Parisian of princes".
The songs were arranged and played by Samuel Sené, a well-known musical director, and performed live on stage by Charlotte Ruby and Jérôme Pradon, two bilingual and multi-faceted singers, who had to cver everything from baroque to operetta to cabaret.
An hour and a half of fun was had by all, on stage and off, and we hope to do the show again, in English or French, as soon as possible. Watch this space.
