Upstaged
2011
First Published
3.74
Average Rating
96
Number of Pages
Two minutes into the second act, there is a knock on Nicolas Boehlmer's dressing-room door, just as he's smoking his last cigarette before having to go back on stage . . . and, without thinking, he says, “Come in,” still in character. He quickly finds himself bound, gagged, and stripped by a man who appears to be his mirror image: costumed in the same wig, make-up, and clothes. Nicolas is powerless to prevent his usurper from going out and playing his role—with increasingly ridiculous consequences. Is this “upstaging” the act of a depraved amateur? Sabotage by a rival? A piece of guerrilla theater? A political statement? Whatever the cause, Nicolas and his fellow actors soon find their play—and their lives—making less and less sense, as the parts they play come under assault by this irrational intruder.
Avg Rating
3.74
Number of Ratings
85
5 STARS
18%
4 STARS
45%
3 STARS
32%
2 STARS
6%
1 STARS
0%
goodreads
Author
Jacques Jouet
Author · 5 books
Jacques Jouet is a French writer and has been a participating member of the Oulipo literary project since 1983. He is a poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist, and plasticine artist specializing in collages. As a member of l'Oulipo, Jouet became its focus in June 2009 when he began publicly writing a serialized novel in five days. He first became involved with Oulipo in 1978, stemming from a writing course directed by Paul Fournel, Georges Perec, and Jacques Roubaud. His serial The Republic of Mek Ouyes was broadcasted simultaneously on radio and on the web, through the site of his publisher, P.O.L. Jouet wrote Poèmes de métro while riding the underground trains of the Paris Métro.
