Impromptu 1663, or, Molière and the uproar over The School for Wives, is first and foremost a date that could have remained forgotten in the history of theatre and political satire. Molière, attacked from all sides after presenting The School for Wives, went on the offensive by teaching his opponents a real lesson in two steps. He responded by writing and directing Critique of the School for Wives, followed by The Impromptu at Versailles. When the theatre battles the world of theatre using theatre... It's a simple enough trick: in The Impromptu, Molière stages the rehearsal of a play before its performance in front of the King. Molière plays his own role, surrounded by his whole troupe. In Critique of the School for Wives, however, he dramatises the end of the performance and the argument between members of the audience enthralled or revolted by the play they just saw... Two more stunts to add to those the playwright keeps coming up with to respond to his contemporaries' attacks and reflect their own jealousy and malice back at them. Intertwining those two plays, director Clément Hervieu-Léger asks the students of the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique to perform what looks a lot like their reality: the life of a troupe, the anxiety of rehearsals, and the pressing need to get onstage... and to defend the modernity of the language of the classics.
Distribution
Direction Clément Hervieu-Léger
Artistic collaboration Clémence Boué
Music Pascal Sangla
Stage design Camille Duchemin
Lights Dominique Nocereau
Sound Yann Galerne
Costumes Valérie Montagu
With James Borniche, Margaux Chatelier, Jean Chevalier, Manon Chircen, Marceau Deschamps-Ségura, Charlie Fabert, Maïa Foucault, Louise Guillaume, Florent Hu, Hugues Jourdain, Pia Lagrange, Joseph Menez, Asja Nadjar, Isis Ravel, Morgane Real, Roxanne Roux, Alexiane Torres
Production
Production Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique
L'École des femmes, La Critique de l'École des femmes and L'Impromptu de Versailles by Molière are published by Éditions Pocket and Hachette