L'Intruse et Les Aveugles ・ Comédie-Française

Two one-act plays, written in 1890 when Maurice Maeterlinck was 29, mark the author’s will to break free for the conformism that pertained to theatre in his lifetime.

This pioneer of Belgian symbolism built a universe based on mystery and the invisible through his understated writing style. The clear-cut writing and brilliant dramaturgy enticed director and set designer Tommy Milliot, recently put in charge of the Centre dramatique national de Besançon. Milliot, who specialises in contemporary pieces, directed the first ever French production of Lluïsa Cunillé’s Massacre at the Comédie-Française in 2020. This season, he is directing a dual production of his Belgian peer’s short masterpieces, in a moving set designed to host these two long takes.
In a parable of our contemporary world, these atmospheric plays are based on the fear of the unknown. The first play tells the story of an elder, the only family member able to sense the young, sick mother’s upending death lurking in the garden. The second play revolves around the wait surrounding a group of blind people lost in the forest, unable to find their way since their guide suddenly disappeared. While the first play features a clairvoyant blind elder, hope in the second piece takes the form of a baby born in the arms of his mother. Tommy Milliot’s acute sense for set design highlights the many emotions produced by sounds within the play. The force of Maeterlinck’s work allows this story to be told by immersing the audience into his universe: the mystery lies in the sound of a step emanating from a garden, in a suddenly silent nightingale, in bells sounds, in the wind rustling the leaves.

NEW PRODUCTION

Avec la participation artistique du Jeune Théâtre National