Elie Semoun « Cactus »

Elie Semoun presents Cactus, his eighth show, at the Kursaal Besançon on April 2, 2026. After thirty years onstage, he readjusts the balance between stand-up and characters, with stand-up more present and direct, followed by the figures he enjoys embodying and that have shaped his signature as a writer-performer.

We encounter Jean Abdul, who opens for himself; a son showing a nursing home to his father; Xavier, in a wheelchair, introducing his wife to his mother; a father confronting his son’s transition; and a karate class led by an openly racist instructor. Harassment, religion, family tensions, the small everyday acts of cowardice: Cactus tackles sensitive subjects with fast-paced writing, clear-cut situations and a finely tuned sense of timing.

Between confidences, sketches and asides, Elie Semoun alternates observation, off-kilter humor and back-and-forth with the audience. His skill at sketching characters in a few strokes and sliding from laughter to unease without exaggeration is intact, resulting in a taut, razor-sharp portrait of a time on edge.