The Le Grenier de Babouchka theater company is presenting a ‘one-man show’ in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution. The performance unfolds the story of a democracy achieved through the unity of the people and conquered with flowers. It is narrated through the questions of a grandson to Celeste, a Portuguese emigrant in France.
The play conjures memories of Celeste’s youth, stifled under Salazar’s dictatorship, her clandestine journey to France, her frigid nights beneath corrugated iron roofs in the Champigny-sur-Marne shantytown, her love affair with Zé, her brother Chico, the Resistance, carnations blocking the cannons, the reclaimed freedom, and her tumultuous life journey deprived of many things, but never of love, according to a statement.
Directed by Jean-Philippe Daguerre, this production, launched in 2024, lasts one hour and 15 minutes. It concludes with four dates at a Parisian theater, which began on May 3 and ends on May 23. The final performance is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM local time (6:00 PM in Lisbon).
Previously, ‘La fleur au fusil’ was featured at Théâtre des Brunes in Avignon, southern France, between July 3 and July 21, 2024.
Lionel Cecílio, whose family roots trace back to Loulé and Porto de Mós, garnered success in France with the play “Voyage dans les Mémoires d’un Fou” (Journey into the Memories of a Madman) in 2017.
Having studied at the Enfants Terribles theater school in Paris, alongside French actress Léa Seydoux, Cecílio was recognized as a “Jeune Talent Cannes Adami” at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival with Frédéric Malègue’s film “Scène de Vestiaire.”
His filmography includes “Les Heritiers” (2014) by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, which received a César Award nomination, “Le Bonheur des Duprè” (2011) by Bruno Chiche, and appearances in series like “Le Transporteur” produced by Luc Besson, “Chers Voisins,” and “Scènes de Ménages.” He also appeared in a scene from Ruben Alves’ film “A Gaiola Dourada” (2012).
