"You're Not Like The Other Girls, Chrissy"

There are very few plays that can tug at your heartstrings, leaving you a feeling of sadness and joy at same time, once the stage lights are turned off and you got out of the theatre.  "You're not like the other girls, Chrissy" is one of these. Still now, when my mind goes back to the main moments of the show I feel very touched and nicely moved. Moreover, the fact that the story is a true one, makes this play even more special.

  "You are not like the other girls, Chrissy"

(c) Caroline Horton

All the way through the play, there is only one actress on the stage, Caroline Horton playing Chrissy, but she is able to entertain you like ten actors would do (believe me!). She is extremely talented and original. The way she portraits her French grandmother (yeah, the story is this actress grandmother's) is amazing: a very funny, brilliant and sensitive woman who fell in love with a "tongue-tied English teacher", whose long-distance relationship will be strained to the limit, once the Second World War broke out in Europe. Thanks to the atmosphere created by the lights, the music and the songs chosen, the spectator is really projected in a romantic Paris of the early 40s, where this lady is telling her story waiting in for her train to England at Gare du Nord station.

Chrissy telling her story. (C) Caroline Horton

I think the end of the piece is the best moment, because not only there is the resolution of the story but but it is also revealed Caroline's background story (how she got to know her grandmother's story), showing how real the story is and, thus, unique. Actually, somehow, all this reminds me of the topic of one of my last seminars at the university, where we were tallking about Amita Ghosh's vision of History. I completely agree with this writer's opinion, who claims a little story, a story belonging to  normal person, is worth to be remembered and to be considered as important as a worldwide famous person one's. Because, it's not important the fame itself, how many things once own, or whatever it is material that should make a person important in history, but it is the humaneness, the universal feelings that belong to each of us, one should be remembered for. This is the way this play represents this normal lovely lady from Paris, a person who made History (in her own small way), handing down her story to her granddaughter and reminding people that love can still exist somehow, although the world is ripped up by the war. Ok, I will stop digressing now or this post will become endless, but here it is the facebook page where it is possible to have more information about the show tour and you can also see some photos: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128729500476028. If you are in England and have the possibility to go to see it, do not even think about it, just go. It's really worth it!
And here it is a drawing I want to dedicate to Chrissy. Thank you for your wonderful story and thank you to Caroline who told it to us!

Illustration (c) Erminia Pedata / Chrissy is (c) Caroline Horton

This is one of those stories that makes you think and wonder 'what if...?' and makes you believe that in life miracles can happen sometimes. Also when things get crazy and one feels lost, nobody is lost if they keep believing. So let's keep singing because someone will hear us at last: 
Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse tout en rond... XD