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Molière & Lully - Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme - Denis Podalydès

Comédie-ballet in five acts, created in 1670 at Château de Chambord.

Madame Jourdain Emeline Bayart

Nicole Manon Combes

Dorimène Bénédicte Guilbert

The music tutor and Dorante Julien Campani

The fencing master and the Mufti Nicolas Orlando

The philosophy tutor Francis Leplay

A lackey Hermann Marchand

Lucile and the tailor boy Leslie Menu

A lackey Laurent Podalydès

Monsieur Jourdain Pascal Rénéric

The master tailor and Covielle Alexandre Steiger

The dancing master and Cléonte Thibault Vinçon

Dancers Jennifer Macavinta et Artemis Stavridi

Singers Romain Champion, Cécile Granger, Marc Labonnette

Francisco Mañalich with solists from the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges

Mise en scène Denis Podalydès, sociétaire de la Comédie Française

Musical conductor Christophe Coin

Scenography Éric Ruf, sociétaire de la Comédie Française

Costumes Christian Lacroix

Lumières Stéphanie Daniel

Choregraphy Kaori Ito

In the Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Molière draws the portrait of an adventurer of the mind, who has no other wish than to escape his commoner condition and set foot on territories from which he is excluded…to discover a terra incognita, which is forbidden to him because of his birth status. Why laugh at Monsieur Jourdain? The bourgeois simply wants to discover what we call “culture” and decides to take on the vast challenge of living his dreams…What does it matter that his dreams are ridiculous. By choosing to give this play its original comedy-ballet set to music on Lully’s scores, Denis Podalydès calls on all arts.

In this celebration of theatre, in costumes by Christian Lacroix, the director aims for the apotheosis of the senses so avidly desired by his hero played by Pascal Rénéric. The purpose of the comedy is of course to laugh. But it is difficult not to feel some sympathy for this man without qualities who tries to initiate the very first cultural revolution all by himself. After a thousand comical twists and turns, Monsieur Jourdain is elevated to the rank of “Mamamouchi” and has his hour of glory, in music and dance, sickened by his bourgeois status, an imaginary gentleman, both fulfilled and beaten, duped and triumphant, in a rare theatrical moment where ridicule gives way to pure wonderment.

You may find the booklet, available in French and English, by clicking here

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