La Môme de Paris is alive and kicking. See for yourself at l’Opéra de Nice on December 6 when Anne Carrere pays her a fitting tribute.

On December 19, the late, great, unforgotten Edith Piaf would celebrate the centennial of her birth. Facts as we know them report that she didn’t live past age 47, and yet you could be forgiven to think it is her who you see on stage in Directo Productions’ exceptional musical show PIAF! Le Spectacle, thanks to the dazzling Anne Carrere in the title role who incarnates Edith to perfection. After having swept streets from Warsaw to New York via Rio and the rest of the world, it is the Opéra de Nice’s turn to host this very special musical tribute to the immortal Parisian singer… and one that no lover of traditional French chanson can afford to miss it.

PIAF takes the audience back to Montmartre, to the heydays of traditional French music… to beret-wearing men on bicycles, baguette tucked under their arm and a Gauloise hanging from the corner of their mouths, to impossibly chic women who commandeer a room by the simple force of a cool glance, and to the heady perfume of pre- and postwar Paris between looming disaster and reconstruction. And in the midst of it all, tiny, fragile, and yet so strong Edith with her earthshattering voice, coming straight from her gut and singing of love and loss and life.

And Anne Carrere IS Edith; musically and physically. The young Varois singer’s ascent to international stardom is the fabric that every aspiring musical talent’s dreams are made of: You hear about an audition, you participate, you win with flying colors, and within a year you wind up rocking the whole world. This is exactly what happened to the 30 year old Toulon native. It all started when she went to a casting call in 2014 for PIAF. She came, she sang, she conquered. Captivated by the power of her voice and her natural charisma, Gil Marsalla, producer and director of the show, immediately offered her the role of Edith Piaf.

An exceptionally accomplished musical talent with classical training, Anne could not have been better chosen for the role representing Edith. Even Germaine Ricord, Edith Piaf’s friend of many years, immediately fell in love with Anne’s incredible voice that reminds her so much of her long-departed friend. “I found the voice and personality of Anne Carrere to be Edith Piaf at the top of her career! Hers is the best voice to reproduce Edith that I have ever heard.” Not exactly a small compliment from the one person best placed to judge.

In her journey through Paris, Anne is accompanied by four musicians. Never-before-seen images and videos round out the exceptional audio-visual experience.

PIAF! Le Spectacle debuted in Nice in 2014, and after a sensational one year tour around the world, leaving adoring fans in 22 countries, the show comes home in time celebrate Edith Piaf’s 100th birthday, just a few days ahead of the actual date: Rendezvous at the Opéra de Nice on December 6 at 14h30 and 18h30. An emotional, moving and passionate encounter with the Parisian singer and her unforgettable chansons and a worthy tribute to her life and legacy you really do not want to miss.

If you cannot make it in Nice on December 6, you have another chance to catch this breathtaking show in Paris at the prestigious Théâtre Dejazet on the actual date of La Môme’s 100th birthday, December 19, as well as on December 20.

Tickets are available for purchase online now and from all the usual ticket outlets. Or stay tuned for our giveaway of 10 tickets via our Facebook wall in the coming days.

All photos courtesy Directo Productions; lead image © Val Wagner, Anne Carrere photo © Alain Biguet, final photo © Rafał Klęk