Propos de ville et propos de théâtre

A lively tableau of late‑19th‑century Paris unfolds through a series of sparkling sketches that blur the line between city gossip and theatrical rehearsal. We meet a fashionable young woman whose reputation for daring exchanges is matched only by her habit of cataloguing admirers on the “day” they receive her favor. In a bustling café, a painter’s obstinate swagger provokes both scandal and witty repartee, while a newcomer to the capital, clueless about the winding streets, is steered toward Clichy by the very characters he seeks to impress.

The narrative weaves together dinner parties, impromptu bal masqués, and whimsical musings on winter, all rendered with a sharp, almost conversational tone. By chronicling the whims of society’s “intrigués and intrigants,” the work captures the fleeting brilliance of Parisian social rituals, inviting listeners to linger over each anecdote as if they were sifting through a beloved salon’s whispered confidences.