"Check Up" or the health check-up that goes wrong: Bernard Campan forcibly interned in hospital in Sébastien Thiéry's new comedy
Laurène Thierry, actress and culture columnist, immerses you in the heart of the most popular shows in the capital and throughout France. For Entrevue, she explores the world of theater and introduces you to captivating artists and stories.
Prolific actor and playwright Sébastien Thiéry returns with a new comedy: Check up. After having established himself on the Parisian scene with momo, The origin of the world or, Video club which was crowned with two Molière nominations in 2024, Sébastien Thiéry confirms in this latest creation his taste for the absurd.
The pitch of Check up is simple: a man is forcibly interned in a hospital because of an administrative error. Summoned for a simple health check by a letter from a doctor he has never heard of, Jean-Marc Lelièvre, played by the excellent Bernard Campan, reluctantly goes to the appointment. Feeling in perfect health but pushed by his wife (Valérie Keruzore) who is worried, this businessman used to controlling his world loses his footing. Events follow one another in spite of himself: waiting room, consultation, internment. He's done. Jean-Marc Lelièvre, who a multitude of misunderstandings have made him pass for a certain Mr. Rabbit, is given the latter's mystery illness and, consequently, a hospital bed for an indefinite period.
The mechanism of the absurd is therefore in motion. Jean-Marc, who is in great shape, loudly points out the serious error of which he is the victim, but whatever he does, he is not heard. The absurd is stronger than reality. Logic, reflection, common sense, in a word, truth and its search no longer have any effect under his dictatorial reign. The more Jean-Marc tries to escape, the more he is condemned. The stubborn nurse (Florence Muller) and the receptionist (Emil Abossolo Mbo) acting as prison guard are inflexible: Jean-Marc is sick, so Jean-Marc must be treated, whether he likes it or not! Caught in the spiral of the absurd, the life of the unfortunate Jean-Marc turns into a nightmare.
Check Up is at the Antoine Theater Wednesday to Saturday at 21 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 16 p.m. until January 5, 2025.
Laurene Thierry
