Elie Semoun « Cactus »

Élie Semoun arrives with CACTUS, his new show, at the Grand Théâtre de Calais in Calais on April 9, 2026. With thirty years on stage to his name, he continues to move between confessional stand-up and finely honed portrayals, without losing his taste for topics that rub people the wrong way. Cactus is his desire to get back to the core, to speak plainly, and to bring to life a gallery of figures that extend his universe.

For this eighth show, stand-up takes on a larger role, but the characters do not fade away. Jean Abdul will open the evening, and we encounter a son escorting his father to the nursing home (EHPAD), Xavier, a man with a disability who introduces his wife to his mother, and a racist karate instructor. Familiar or unsettling silhouettes, used to shift the perspective.

Through them, Élie Semoun addresses intolerance, sexual harassment, religion, taboos and injustice. With precise language, a spare rhythm and a gift for embodiment, he advances directly into these sensitive areas. An opportunity to discover how his humor is evolving today, between blunt observation and characters that cling to him like a second skin.