Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme

Presented by La Companie de l'Elan. At the end of the first performance of Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Louis XIV left the auditorium without applauding... No doubt he had judged that this bourgeois who wanted to be as grand as the nobles was an affront to him.

But his advisers and Molière's friends, who were close to the King, pointed out to him that Molière mocked this Monsieur Jourdain harshly but playfully, and the King applauded at the end of the second performance: he had understood that he could thus win the laughter to his side.

However, Louis XIV had clearly perceived the underlying criticism of these 'people of quality' who do not possess all the qualities, a sign of a certain spirit of revolt beginning to stir in this lavish century, which would lead, a century later, to the Revolution.

Staging: Bernard Lefebvre, Hélène Robin. Cast: Olivier Bruaux, Aurore Cureau, Sylvain Durand-Soriano, Marc Grèzes-Rueff, Balthazar Grimaldi, Fanny Heurguier, Bernard Lefebvre, Allen Nicolae, Rémi Picard, Hélène Robin, Joanna Rubio, Dario Tarantelli. Costumes: Frédéric Morel.

Music: Jean-Baptiste Lully. Performers: Antonio Desmard, Fanny Heurguier.