Séisme at Théâtre du Petit Saint-Martin: A Couple's Eco-Anxiety Explored

At the Théâtre du Petit Saint-Martin in Paris, Claire de la Rüe du Can and Jean Chevalier, actors from the Comédie Française, perform in "Séisme," a play by British playwright Duncan Macmillan directed by Robin Ormond. The 90-minute production follows a young couple on an Ikea parking lot discussing having a child amid climate change and eco-anxiety. The set is a glass box resembling an aquarium, with no props, as the characters F and H debate their future, love, and guilt over the planet. The dialogue is unfiltered and overlapping, capturing contemporary speech patterns. The performance is noted for its intensity and lack of pauses, with the actors delivering a continuous, unbroken conversation. The play addresses themes of fear, control, and the desire to master the world, ending with love as a redemptive force. The review is by Hélène Kuttner.