- If books, movies, and TV have taught us anything, it’s that the French love a nice café. And true to form, that’s where our play begins.
- Our hero Berenger—who’s somewhat lazy and disorganized but a decent fellow overall—meets his more-together friend Jean for a chat while others in this small provincial town (cue Belle from Beauty and the Beast) go about their business.
- There’s the shop owner and his wife, the resident Logician (every town should have a logician), a lady with her cat, and an old guy. Cute.
- So, Jean talks to Berenger about how Berenger needs to quit drinking and get his life together.
- People just love it when other people tell them everything that’s wrong with them, don’t they?
- Berenger might come off as one of those guys who's OK with his lot in life, somewhat sloppy though that lot may be.
- But we catch a glimpse of his own self-doubt when Daisy crosses the stage. Daisy is the girl from work whom Berenger has a total crush on. She’s the Pam to his Jim. Or the Dawn to his Tim, if you’re a British type.
- As Daisy walks by, Berenger sort of realizes that he looks like a messy drunk, so he tries to hide himself. Which of course gives Jean the chance to lecture him some more.
- Just when you think this is going to be one of those plays where people just sit around and talk about life and stuff, things get a little nuts.
- A rhinoceros barrels through the neighborhood. Everyone (other than Berenger) freaks out. He’s laid back like that…or hungover, it’s debatable.
- So the rhino has moved on and Berenger is already tired of talking about it when…
- Boom! Another rhinoceros bursts on the scene. This time, sadly, a lady’s cat gets squashed in the bargain. Non-LOL.
- The second rhinoceros (or is it just the first one come back around?) sparks more debate between Berenger and Jean, and they end up getting pretty heated.
- How could you not, after a double rhino rampage?
- Anyway, it’s just about as heated as a leisurely French guy like Berenger can get at this point, so Jean storms off.
- Despite the argument and all that rhinoceros madness, Berenger still walks away from the meeting determined to change his life like Jean laid it out for him.
- First steps: 1) go check out a play—maybe one by Ionesco (yeah, Ionesco is so cool, he can reference himself in his own play), 2) start dressing sharp, and 3) kick the drink. Then maybe even he will start noticing all the rhinos stampeding over rural France.