L'Hôtel du Libre-Échange

AMONG FEYDEAU'S PLAYS performed at the Comédie-Française since Feu la mère de Madame (Madame’s Late Mother) in 1941, it is rare to find one that does not address the theme of adultery. It may only be implied sometimes but more often than not, Feydeau displays the infidelity of his characters, which they exhaust themselves in trying to conceal, cultivate or unmask.

While sometimes rendered faulty or uncontrollable for the needs of the plot, new sciences such as hypnosis and, similarly, magic and belief, provide means of escaping the vigilance of a jealous spouse (La Dame de Maxim, The Girl from Maxim’s). In Le Système Ribadier (Where There’s a Will), hypnosis is at the heart of the stratagem employed by the fickle husband, enabling him to slip away completely undetected. Well, almost... As for the discreet circulation of a letter, it represents a threat and a source of confusion as soon as it is transmitted to the wrong recipient (Chat en poche, Monsieur chasse) or sent anonymously to a husband to put his fidelity to the test (La Puce à l’oreille, A Flea in Her Ear). If the rendez-vous takes place in the conjugal home, one must succeed in concealing the compromising interloper (Occupe-toi d’Amélie, Take care of Amélie)! Sometimes, on the contrary, the lover wants to publicly reveal the relationship (Un fil à la patte, Cat Among the Pigeons).

Generally, any means is acceptable to arrange a romantic rendez-vous, but preferably outside the conjugal home and more often than not at a hotel... but the practice is prone to mishaps all the same (Le Dindon, La Puce à l’oreille). In Monsieur chasse, the bachelor pad is no better protected from the outside world and blankets remain the quickest means of concealment! In L’Hôtel du libre-échange, multiple mix-ups occur and it is dresses that denounce the unfaithful wife. This production directed by Isabelle Nanty marks the twelfth Feydeau play to enter the Comédie-Française Repertoire.