It all started in Old Nice, in a bar where birds freely flit among the customers and passing street performers who, for the duration of an evening, share a moment of their lives together.
It was surely while watching them that Noëlle Perna envisioned her characters and the plot woven with an identity marked by socca, pissaladière, and pastis. It was in 1984 that Noëlle and another phenomenon of Nice’s comedy scene, Richard Cairaschi, launched the serial “Le Bar des Oiseaux” on the airwaves of Radio France Côte d’Azur, which was later broadcasted on France 3.
In 1998, she settled into her bar, the one with the birds, and presented her shows in the intimacy of this bistro which is a landmark of both the old town and the city of Nice. Subsequently, she created “Mesclun Show” followed by “Le Bassin des Méditerranéennes” before creating “Mado la Niçoise,” which won over an audience previously unfamiliar with Nice’s quirks.
That’s Noëlle, the one you would see shopping at the Cours Saleya, having a drink at the Idée Halles (formerly Bar Marina), and whom we so enjoy encountering in the alleyways she has marked just as much by her presence as by her accent.
Website of Le Bar des Oiseaux: [www.bardesoiseaux.com](https://www.bardesoiseaux.com)
Here’s to the virtual banter of today that will become tomorrow’s deep discussions, to you Noëlle!
Interview Noëlle Perna
So, how is our national treasure from Nice doing?
Like a zucchini flower!
What are the news and projects of Noëlle Perna?
A heap of projects, enough to write a book…
Do you lean more towards “all is well” or “stubborn contrarian”?
All is well.
And is it more “Only Ray, that’s it” or “Enough of Ray”?
Only Ray, that’s it.
What does the Old Town represent for you?
The pear for thirst, the cherry on the cake, and especially the anchovies on the pissaladière.
If you could change three things in Nissa the not always beautiful…?
The anti-noise campaign in Old Nice, the City Hall in place of the Palace of Justice, and instead of the military music festival (the MOURRE festival), a real SOUTHERN COMEDY festival.
And finally, Noëlle in one song, one book, and one film?
A book about the song of a film.
Franck Viano