Pushed to their limit by the radicality of an Alceste willing to renounce any form of sociability, the characters reveal, over the course of a day, the contradictions of a humanity that follows heart over reason. They form a social microcosm that is placed in an open space – outside a mansion they are moving into – instead of the cosy confines of a salon. The set is a moving space, a metaphor for the repertoire, which, according to the director, should “always be evolving, set into its time but nourished by previous centuries and already turning to the upcoming one.”
Clément Hervieu-Léger, the new General Administrator of the Comédie-Française, states: “I belong to a repertory theatre, and I think that if we do not approach the works from a fresh perspective, then such as place has no reason to exist.” The show, which premiered in 2014, was already performed 197 times; its timeless quality had it crossing the seasons with an ease no passing years could alter.

This show premiered on April 12, 2014 at the Salle Richelieu

subtitles
French Sign Language
Adapted French
French
English

Director: Clément Hervieu-Léger
Scenography: Éric Ruf
Costumes: Caroline de Vivaise
Lighting: Bertrand Couderc
Original music: Pascal Sangla
Sound: Jean-Luc Ristord
Hairstyles: Fabrice Elineau
Assistant director: Juliette Léger
Assistant scenography: Dominique Schmitt