Silence Isn't So Silent

 I have been to Le Théâtre National de Chaillot twice so far.  This place is called a national theatre because it shows works from artists around the globe.  First I saw a Via Katlehong dance group, which was extremely impressive, and most recently I saw Alvis Hermanis' "The Sound of Silence."

I knew I wanted to take my non-french-speaking friend Naomi to the french theatre, but - how to get past the language barrier?  The Sound of Silence seemed like a perfect opportunity, since it is a play without words.  Before seeing this, I was filled with doubt - doesn't a 3 and a half hour play, without ANY speaking in it, sound torturous? 
But, luckily, I trusted my first instinct and ended up being thoroughly amazed.  The actors relied solely on silent communication.  They used their eyes, their hands, their body language, and objects.  The object-play was perfectly thought-out, as was the use of 1960s Simon and Garfunkel tunes.  Each moment in this piece has great impact because of the image created, the silent communication, and the perfect timing of sound/movement/etc.
Really moving!  Hilarious, tragic, bizarre, relatable, simple, complicated, everything I could have asked for.  For those three and a half hours, my eyes were glued to the stage, and not one yawn or sigh escaped my lips.