Avignon Festival: Groundhog Day at the Théâtre du Chêne Noir

"At the Théâtre du Chêne Noir, we go with our eyes closed," says Agnès, a septuagenarian, to her friend in the queue that grows from 8:45 a.m. at 8 bis, rue Sainte-Catherine, behind the Palais des Papes, in Avignon. The goal? To see Labiche's Le Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon . "We missed it in Paris," she adds. "For fifteen years, my husband and Charly have been coming here, he's a benchmark ," adds Brigitte, a woman from Nice. "We like the fact that it's a comedy." The sun is beating down. A sign placed under a poster of the play warns: "Dear spectators, food is strictly forbidden in the theater, as are drinks, except water." The recommendation is repeated on the entrance doors of the two air-conditioned theaters. The large one, called " Léo-Ferré" , has some 300 seats. The little one, John Coltrane, has 120.

With sun hats on their heads, a water bottle and sunscreen at hand, festival-goers...