LJHELM (Le Jeune Homme et La Mort) bits - Jean Babilee

Jeune Homme bits from docs and news. Originally Jeune Homme was a rather mundane dilemma of the “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy hangs himself“ type, meant as wedding present for Babilée and Natalie Philippart, and it was set on Frankie and Johnny, not on Bach’s Passacaglia. Babilée was described by reviewers of the time as “un homme infernal“, angry and almost savage (one critic said he expected him to spit on stage, lol; I’m not sure I believe him). The interpretation changed in time, as did the choreography and the execution. Particularly the last but one scene (after the girl leaves the room) is very different today.