La Visite de la vieille dame

by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Directed by Christophe Lidon

Vx-Colombier

19 February 30 March 2014

Vx-Colombier

La Visite de la vieille...

2014-02-19 00:00:00 2014-03-30 00:00:00

When, after decades of absence, the ultra wealthy Claire Zahanassian returns to Güllen, the small town of her childhood, to celebrate her wedding to her eighth husband, the whole community hopes she will pay off the chronic debt that has left the town in terrible hardship.

The old woman agrees to give huge sums to revitalise the town, but with one condition: that they kill Alfred Ill the grocer, her childhood sweetheart, who basely disowned after getting her pregnant. The old lady is determined to destroy the hypocritical moral order that cast her out of the town and sets off a genuine manhunt for Ill. Pursuing her own idea of justice, she accepts to close her heart to her one and only love.


Friedrich Dürrenmatt, the author
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was born in 1921 in Switzerland, in the canton of Bern. After studying philosophy and German literature, son of a Protestant pastor decided, in 1943, to devote himself to literature and drama, while continuing a career as a painter. He came to the attention of his fellow Swiss writer Max Frisch with his first play, It is Written, which caused a scandal at its premiere in 1947. He earned fame as a novelist (The Judge and His Hangman, Suspicion, The Tunnel, The Breakdown), essayist and theatre theoretician, as much as for his playwrighting. His extensive body of work for the theatre, amounting to almost thirty plays (Romulus the Great, The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi, The Physicists) is characterised by a strong social critique, making a severe and pessimistic judgment of his era, marked by the consequences the Second World War and the Cold War. He died in 1990 in Neuchâtel.

Christophe Lidon, the director
Christophe Lidon created his company La Nuit and the Moment Théâtre in 1991, directing some sixty productions in France and abroad. His repertoire ranges from the great classics (Racine, Diderot, Shakespeare, Molière, Chekhov, Goldoni) to contemporary authors (Durringer, Baricco, Lodge, Rault, Siméon). His work is driven by a very attentive reading of the texts and a deep love for actors. Audiences and critics have praised many of his recent stagings which have notably featured Danielle Darrieux, Robert Hirsch, Claude Rich, Danièle Lebrun, Isabelle Carré and Samuel Labarthe. He has a preference for stagings that place the actor at the centre of the production.

Creative team

Translation****: Laurent Muhleisen
Direction****: Christophe Lidon
Direction assistant****: Natacha Garange
Sets****: Catherine Bluwal
Assistant****: Françoise Henry
Costumes****: Chouchane Abello Tcherpachian
Lights****: Marie-Hélène Pinon
Assistant****: Lucie Joliot
Original soundtrack****: La Manufacture Sonore
Video****: Léonard
Assistant****: Cyrille Valroff

Distribution

the company

  • 470push1718_yvesgasc

    Yves
    Gasc

    Koby et Loby, les aveugles

    See biography
  • 449push1718_simoneine

    Simon
    Eine

    Le Majordome, le Médecin Nüsslin et Helmesberger

    See biography
  • push1718-gerardgoroudon

    Gérard
    Giroudon

    Le Maire

    See biography
  • push1718-michelfavory

    Michel
    Favory

    Le professeur Kühn

    See biography
  • push1718-christianblanc

    Christian
    Blanc

    Le Commissaire Hahncke, un client de l’épicerie et le Reporter télé

    See biography
  • push1718-celinasamie

    Céline
    Samie

    Mme Ill

    See biography
  • 19-christiangonon-push

    Christian
    Gonon

    Moby, Hoby et Voby septième, huitième et neuvième maris de Claire Zahanassian

    See biography
  • 39-danielelebrun-push

    Danièle
    Lebrun

    Claire Zahanassian

    See biography
  • samuel-labarthe

    Samuel
    Labarthe

    Alfred Ill

  • 42-noammorgensztern-push

    Noam
    Morgensztern

    Karl fils d’Alfred Ill, le Gymnaste, le Chef de train, un journaliste, le Caméraman et l’Employé hôtel de ville

    See biography
  • 35-didiersandre-push

    Didier
    Sandre

    Le Pasteur et le Peintre Hauser

    See biography
  • pauline-mereuze

    Pauline
    Méreuze

    Erica, fille d’Alfred Ill, la femme du maire, une cliente de l’épicerie, la serveuse de l’auberge et une journaliste

et
Fabrice Colson : Toby et Roby, mâcheurs de chewing-gum
Xavier Delcourt : Toby et Roby, mâcheurs de chewing-gum

  • Lunettes connectées disponibles à la Salle Richelieu

  • Découvrez

    la saison 24-25

SALON DES MÉTIERS

La Comédie-Française lance la troisième édition du Salon des métiers du spectacle vivant en visioconférence ! La Comédie-Française est une véritable ruche de près de 80 métiers exercés par 450 personnes qui fabriquent chaque élément des 25 spectacles qu’elle présente chaque saison. Venez les découvrir !


VIGIPIRATE

En raison du renforcement des mesures de sécurité dans le cadre du plan Vigipirate « Urgence attentat », nous vous demandons de vous présenter 30 minutes avant le début de la représentation afin de faciliter le contrôle.

Nous vous rappelons également qu’un seul sac (de type sac à main, petit sac à dos) par personne est admis dans l’enceinte des trois théâtres de la Comédie-Française. Tout spectateur se présentant muni d’autres sacs (sac de courses, bagage) ou objets encombrants, se verra interdire l’entrée des bâtiments.

vigipirate-urgenceattentat2