Eric Cantona kicks off his theatrical career

Eric Cantona, better known as King Eric on the terraces of Old Trafford, made his debut on the Parisian stage last night, acting in a modern play, Face au Paradis (Faced With Paradise), directed by his wife Rachida Brakni.

The verdict? The critics' notices are not yet in, but fans and journalists who had tickets for the first night at the Theatre Marigny are saying: Not bad at all. If it wasn't his greatest performance, he certainly didn't score an own goal.

As Cantona told Le Monde last week, he has proved himself in front of 80,000 people and now wanted to try in front of 400. "If you don't put yourself in danger, you don't know yourself," he said.

It wasn't his first acting experience - he was praised for his role in the Ken Loach film Looking for Eric - but it was his first time treading the boards.  

He played the part of the taciturn Max, an accountant who is trapped with another colleague, Lubin, in the rubble of the supermarket where they work. The chatty Lubin is played by a younger French actor, Lorant Deutsch.

According to the Guardian's reporter in the audience, Cantona was visibly relieved when he and Deutsch took their bows to warm applause and shouts of "bravo".

Fabrice Coret, a French Manchester United fan who bought a ticket to the first night, said afterwards: "I thought it was very original and his performance was good, but there was a bit too much pathos at the end. I suppose we're used to seeing Cantona as virile and manly, not as weak."

Another fan, Antoine, risked a kung-fu Cantona special when he said: "I think he is charismatic and has presence, but I'm not sure he's a very good actor."

Ouch. Eric told Le Journal du Dimanche that he saw Face au Paradis as just the first step in a theatrical career which he hoped will one day see him playing King Lear. However, at 43, he admitted: "I'm still a little young for that." ·