Britannicus

Reading the past in the light of the present, that’s probably what Stéphane Braunschweig does better than anyone: a sharp gaze that gives a fresh interpretation of texts that lets us hear them again, with an absolute respect for the written word, the author, and the vision of space in which the verb unfolds. A figure head of contemporary theatre, he is making his debut staging at the Comédie-Française with Racine’s Britannicus, which has not been heard there for over 10 years. And in doing so he is taking on a repertoire that had never touched before, that of classical French tragedy. Directed by Jean-Pierre Miquel in 1978, Jean-Luc Boutté in 1990 and Brigitte Jaques-Wajeman in 2004, Britannicus is a web of intrigue between professionals in politics. Their stated ambitions are closely intertwined with the private sphere through filial ties and the hatred or love they nurture for each other. Racine chooses a particular episode in Roman history, the moment when a monster emerges: Nero, the true hero of a work that in fact bears the name of his victim. It is the story of someone taking power whose plot twists are rooted in the personality of the young emperor.