The action is set in Naples, opening a door onto an imagined maritime world stretching towards the Orient. In a set suggesting a town port, two sons, two thwarted lovers, turn to the crafty Scapin, driven by a mad desire for revenge, to help them with their authoritarian fathers. The character is a Scaramouche double, as Molière was fascinated by the adventurous Italian actor: “To tell you the truth, there are very few things I cannot do, when I made up my mind” declares the buffoonish servant whose name, as Denis Podalydès points out, derives his fromthe Italian scappare, “to escape”, “to scamper off”. Scapin is beaten with a stick, but does some serious beating too. With ransom demands and paternal contradictions all around, he comes up with an avalanche of stratagems and other tricks Molière excels in depicting. After being performed over 260times in Paris, on tour, in five Chinese cities, and broadcast in cinemas, this joyous tale of children triumph over fathers is back at the Salle Richelieu.

This show premiered on September 20, 2017 at the Salle-Richelieu

subtitles
French Sign Language
Adapted French
French
English

Direction: Denis Podalydès
Scenography: Éric Ruf
Costumes: Christian Lacroix
Lighting: Stéphanie Daniel
Sound: Bernard Valléry
Make-up: Véronique Soulier-Nguyen
Artistic and choreographic collaboration: Leslie Menu
Assistant direction: Alison Hornus
Assistant scenography: Dominique Schmitt