Les Fourberies de Scapin

ON 24 MAY 1671, Molière premiered his new play, Les Fourberies de Scapin (Scapin the Schemer), which was poorly received by the Parisian public. This highly surprising failure was in fact due to circumstance: the Palais Royal theatre was in the middle of an interminable renovation with a view to staging the sumptuous “highlight” of the season, Psyché, which the court had already had the privilege of discovering and which Paris was impatiently awaiting.

One has to wonder then: was the purpose of the play simply to keep audiences occupied while they waited for the much anticipated tragedy-ballet? In performance terms, however, Scapin clearly had the makings of a great spectacle, with Molière himself playing the title role. La Thorillière as a “furious rapier-wielder”, and Mademoiselle Beauval as Zerbinette contributed just as significantly: indeed the latter was known for her infectious, booming laugh, and the author composed the role with her in mind. But as Boileau commented, the play disappointed lovers of “charming comedies”, no doubt for being too close in spirit to the commedia dell’arte. Conceived with an economy of means for a staging that requires neither imposing sets nor machines, it is very likely that the play appeared too simple to contemporaries and out of step with the new vogue for entertainments featuring singing and dancing.

In short, it was too pure a form of theatre, lacking in embellishments.

As is often the case, future success proved contemporary tastes wrong, since, after the author’s death, the play went on to become a huge hit. Today, it is one of the most frequently staged plays in the French Repertoire, including abroad. On 20 September 2017, on the opening night of Denis Podalydès’ new staging, the Comédiens-Français will have performed it 1,495 times since 1680.