‘I can say things in a song I’d never say in life.’
One of the greatest singer-songwriters of the twentieth century, Barbara was an artist who expressed the inexpressible through song.
Born Monique Serf to Jewish parents in Paris in 1930, she survived WW2 by hiding out with her family in the French countryside. In the 1950s she became known for her interpretations of the songs of Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens, before developing her own uniquely intimate style of song-writing and performance. Renowned for the dark and complex emotions she grappled with through song, her biggest number, L’Aigle Noir, sold more than a million copies in a day, and her sudden death in 1997, aged 67, prompted a national outpouring of grief.
In this solo show exploring her life and music, Barbara gradually encroaches on the identity of the performer until she takes over completely, culminating in a confession about the devastating secret hidden in her words and music.
Little known outside of France, La Solitude brings Barbara’s unique talent to an English audience for the first time and offers new arrangements of songs by Barbara, Brassens, and Brel. La Solitude reunites writer Jessica Walker with director Sarah Frankcom and Musical Director Joseph Atkins, whose previous collaboration was a New York Times critic’s pick.
By Jessica Walker
Musical Director Joseph Atkins
Director Sarah Frankcom