Brigitte Rosset, the sword of irony

Le Regard Libre N° 68 - Ivan Garcia

Brigitte Rosset is a Geneva-based comedienne well known to audiences in French-speaking Switzerland for her humorous one-woman shows. In the 2020-2021 season, she presents her new show, My interior kitchen. An opportunity for us to meet this woman who wields irony like a sword. Directly, but always with kindness.

It's an autumn Sunday afternoon, in a dressing room at the Théâtre Benno Besson, when we meet Brigitte Rosset. Equipped with her long gray coat and candy-pink suitcase, the blonde actress stands out against the gray landscape. Brigitte Rosset is first and foremost someone we met last season at Nebia in Biel, during a performance of the show The Golden Dragon, in which she played Hans, a pimp grocer. From this role in a rather trash from Robert Sandoz to her perky new one-woman show, the gap seems enormous. And yet, the actress juggles the two with ease.

Laughter and slip-ups

In the mirrored dressing room, Indra and I do our best to welcome «the star» who sits on the sofa. Brigitte Rosset is energetic and has an impressive CV. With over forty shows to her credit, she is an «exceptional actress» who was awarded a Prix Suisse du Théâtre in 2015, as well as the Prix de l'Humour from the Swiss Society of Authors in 2012 for her show Smarties, Kleenex and Canada Dry. She defines herself as an actress «who likes to play and likes to experience different things». «In fact, what I love about theater is the emotions,» she confesses.

We begin our exchange in a cheerful atmosphere by asking him about his show My interior kitchen, her fifth one-woman show. This creation is rooted in a particular experience she underwent: a week of fasting in the Alpes de Haute-Provence. Brigitte Rosset laughs... Indeed, my tongue slipped and I pronounced «jeune» instead of «jeûne», a recurring slip of the tongue that has become her trademark humor...

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«It's true that I've never tried to “do a young person”. But I'm going to try,» she replies, laughing. Getting serious again, she explains that this show was born in 2017 from a carte blanche she got at Geneva's Théâtre du Crève-Cœur. «First, I wanted to do a sort of best of, But I thought it was silly, because everyone does it. And then.., best of It doesn't mean a thing! That expression used to get on my nerves!» A comedian who doesn't like best of, first surprise. But in his show, there are allusions to past creations. We're left scratching our heads. So a little best of, right? «No, My interior kitchen is a show that asks questions I haven't asked myself until now. But the aim is also to give a little joy.»

In this special season, having herself been a victim of Covid, Brigitte Rosset took advantage of a residency at the Théâtre Benno Besson for a few weeks to «recreate» her show. Assisting her in this process were director Christian Scheidt, with whom she has been collaborating for three years, and French-speaking humorist Jean-Luc Barbezat as script-doctor. «We also say sparring partner»she explains. Amused by the image, I ask her if she and Jean-Luc Barbezat «exchange blows» at work. Laughing, she says, «That's right! The more we talk, the more we realize that Brigitte Rosset hasn't lost her smile or her sense of humor!

Theater, fasting and philosophy’

But then, does the term «new show» fit its purpose? Interior kitchen? «Actually, when I made this show in 2017, it was a version. Since then, I've rewritten it, which has resulted in a new version. And then you have to know that there are several dimensions to my show.» These include the character of Jean-Pierre, a good-natured fellow from Geneva who tries to interfere with her fasting experience, teasing Brigitte with «Bribou» throughout the performance.

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It's amusing to see this theatrical character trying to infiltrate this story of fasting in Bayons. Brigitte Rosset has made this a thread running through her creation, integrating other characters from her previous shows. «They try to fit into the thing, but they're not there. As a result, I'm forced to tell them that they don't exist in this story. It's tragic to tell a character like Jean-Pierre that he's part of me and doesn't exist on his own...» Beneath its air of light comedy, My interior kitchen hides questions about fiction. The author pushes the question further: «Isn't theater, after all, the art of making things exist that don't exist? For that matter, do you exist?» Beneath her good-natured exterior, Brigitte Rosset hides the gravity of a Blaise Pascal...

As the subject of the show is fasting, we can't avoid asking her about the practice. «Fasting is very hard,» she replies. «The principle is to really eat nothing at all to release acidosis in order to purify the body. Well, I don't know all the scientific terms exactly... And we used to go for long walks in the forest. What's more, in Haute-Provence, the slopes are steep...». I retort that it's a curious way to relax. «Honestly, I didn't think I could do it. I walk a lot, but I know I'm in for a cheesy crust. Or I've got the picnic. But it was quite an experience.»

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Who did she meet on this fasting trip? «Well, the people who are in my show». She explains, gestures and voice in support, that ’there's the naturopathic couple, Edwige, the HR manager who did a burn-out and whose thing is happiness, Elodie, a Pilates teacher on her sixth «inner journey», a couple, Frank and Monique, Ludovic, the dog Macaron and the chickens.» With her eloquence, Brigitte draws up a myriad of characters who parade before our eyes. The ease with which she changes skin in a matter of seconds fascinates us.

The ironic bartender and «little Maurice».»

When I interview Brigitte Rosset, I'm on my toes. She sounds like a bretteuse who plays with words like foil strokes. Her weapon? Irony. She wields it like a sword. «But always with kindness,» she says. Cautiously, I ask her if she'd like to repeat the fasting experience: «Now that I've made a show of it, I think it's complicated. I no longer have a neutral view on the subject.»

Brigitte Rosset is a mountain woman who loves summits and hikes. In fact, she tells us that she will soon be leaving Geneva to settle in the Vaud Alps... When asked about her life off-stage, she admits that acting already takes up a large part of her time. But she does try her hand at other activities. «I do Pilates, sir,» she exclaims. Our interviewee also tries to reconcile her professional life with her family life. She is the mother of three children, one of whom is a successful improviser.

At photo time, Indra talks to Brigitte about the «funny little dwarf» on her show poster. She reacts instantly: «Ah yes, little Maurice! She adds: »Go and get him for the photos, if you like«. So I went to the set to ask a theater technician for »little Maurice«. Maurice, a garden-variety actor in the casting from My interior kitchen. The technician then brings not one but two garden gnomes into the dressing room... «Maurice and his dad», he declares.

After the shooting, The two dwarfs, carried by the technician, return quietly to the set. Before bidding her farewell, I tell Brigitte that I've noticed she's good at irony, and ask her if she likes to use it. «Irony? Yeah, I guess so. So maybe I'm cynical, actually.» A short silence follows. «It's a form of humor,» she concludes with a smile. Brigitte Rosset loves irony. But with kindness.

Write to the author: ivan.garcia@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Indra Crittin for Le Regard Libre