“The show must go on. Or not…”It is with his words that Grégory Cometti, director of the Théâtre Le Paris in Avignon, expressed his dilemma after learning of the death of comedian Guillaume Bats, this Thursday, June 1, 2023. The comedian suffering from bone disease de verre was indeed programmed in its performance hall during the Off of the Avignon Festival for its new show inchallah, written by Jeremy Ferrari. In a long press release published on social networks this Saturday, June 3, Grégory Cometti, who says he is “stunned by this terrible news”, explains that he decided after reflection “not to add a void to the void that Guillaume will leave behind” leaving his slot unoccupied. And launches a call for candidates to replace the comedian: “We will simply offer the room for the entire duration of the Festival on the slot that Guillaume was supposed to occupy. We dare to think that the idea of giving the chance to a young talent who would play in his place would have pleased him”explains the director of the theater.
“I’m the only one who finds this shocking!”
But this call “to give a young comedian the chance to perform at the Festival au Paris at 7:40 p.m. in room 3” and for “only life, only laughter and that the Festival continue to be in full swing”, is not unanimous among Internet users who say they are… shocked!
Death of Guillaume Bats: the director of the festival off d’Avignon calls for applications to fill the niche that the comedian was to occupyhttps://t.co/LdKk86E738
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) June 4, 2023
Thus one can read on Twitter the words “Abject”; “Pathetic” ; among other comments “I’m the only one who finds this shocking! not even a week after the death! couldn’t it wait? and was there a need to make co’m out of it?” ; “I hope they boycott his niche… horrible Sir this director…”; “Business continues” or even the idea of paying homage to the deceased actor: “It is better to put a video projected on stage of his show”.
Remember that Guillaume Bats, whose real name is Guillaume Batreau, born in 1987 in Reims, was suffering from brittle bone disease. Follower of black humor, he had very early started to make sketches before being in the first part of Anthony Kavanagh, Jean-Marie Bigard, the Count of Bouderbala and Jérémy Ferrari. The latter was notably his producer but above all a friend. The circumstances of his death, which occurred on June 1, are, for the time being, still unknown.
VF