Translated material
Seventh time in Russia
Muriel Mayet: Comédie Française is the only permanent theater in France
— You started preparing the current tour of the Comedie Française three years ago. And then the conversation was about two performances.
— The fact is that we knew from the very beginning that the current Comedie Française tour would be special and would take place in several cities. We understood that the main thing would be a performance for the big stage. But while we were transporting the scenery, it would be possible to show a second performance, with minimal decorations, designed for more compact, small halls. The modern interpretation of Molière’s “Funny Primroses” by the Englishman Dan Jamet was perfect for this role. The heroines of his play lived to retirement age without finding their chosen ones. Unfortunately, this idea remained at the project stage. The main problem is that the Comédie Française is the only stationary theater in France. This means that every day we have performances on three stages simultaneously. Last year we performed 900 performances in our theater and on tour. Moreover, we have to make do with 58 actors.
— As a result, for a month and a half tour you chose “The Marriage of Figaro” directed by Christophe Rock.
“Everything came together perfectly in this production.” A famous play full of political meanings. A play that is one of the fundamental stones in the repertoire of our theater. Plus, it was directed by one of the young promising French directors. We couldn't pass up this opportunity.
I would like to say a few words about Christophe. He is one of that galaxy of 40-year-old directors who have just arrived on the French stage, who can truly be called “populaire” (in Russian this word can be translated as “folk” and “popular”, I think that Mayet had both meanings in mind. - I.G. Directors who stage rather personal performances, putting their own interpretation into them, but at the same time remain attentive to ensuring that the largest number of viewers share their love for these works. And never at the expense of the work itself.
- One can only regret that in Russia they will not see performances based on plays by authors of the late twentieth century. For example, in Russia they do not know the name of Michel Vinaver, one of the few living French authors of the Comédie Française. Who else if not you to discover new names of modern French theater for Russians?
- These names never left our heads when we were preparing our trip. But here a circle of new contradictions begins. We are proud that the listed authors have finally entered our repertoire, because it is no secret that plays of the second half of the twentieth century in the 50-80s were practically not accepted for production on the stage of the Richelieu Hall (and only after the performance on this stage is the play considered included in the repertoire of the Comedie Française). We have a rather complicated process for accepting a play for production: there is a special committee of readers, which includes representatives from the actors, from the administration, from the Ministry of Culture and simply independent observers. After reviewing the play, a collective decision is made. This mechanism began to work effectively again only in the 90s, when a gradual renewal of the repertoire began, and not only due to the plays of our contemporaries. For example, plays of the 16th-17th centuries appeared from Spain and Portugal, during the production of which new genres were included in the Comedy Française, such as puppets and dolls.
On the other hand, the movement of institutions like ours towards a modern repertoire should be smooth. It is possible to bring Vinaver’s performance as part of some festival in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but it would probably be wrong to build a more than month-long tour of our theater only on it.
— Because your tour is part of the political dialogue between the two countries?
- We are proud that we were entrusted with representing French theater in Russia. The context now is completely different from what it was during the first tour of the Comedie Française in 1954: then the theater came to the USSR during a period of aggravated relations between our countries. And the tour contributed to the normalization of overheated political relations. From those tours to France, they brought from the USSR the phrase that the guns are silent when the muses speak.
Last year our theater went on tour to ten countries in Eastern Europe. This year specifically we traveled to six cities in Russia. And next year we will perform for the first time in several cities in China.
— It is no coincidence that the post of director of Comedie Française occupies the 39th step in the state hierarchy in France after the president of the country.
- Absolutely right. Almost like the second Minister of Culture. And this goes back to the time of the king. We were the only theater allowed and treated kindly. With privileges came duties and obligations. The candidacy for the post of director of Comedie Française is approved by the president of the country. This is extremely rare for France. And if in other areas the president’s attempts to gain the right to appoint directors are heatedly discussed in society, then no one argues about candidates for directors for our theater - this is a long-standing tradition.
Christophe Rock: This play seems avant-garde to me
— In France, you were recognized for your productions of Brecht and your work on the Russian repertoire - Gogol, Schwartz and Ostrovsky, who is not at all obvious to the French. How can you explain your invitation to the Comédie Française to stage The Marriage of Figaro?
-- Three years ago, the Comedy Française decided to open the season with this comedy by Beaumarchais, and to conclude with the drama “Figaro Gets Divorced” by Eden von Horvath. Horvath's text, written in the 30s of the twentieth century and which turned out to be prophetic in relation to the approaching cataclysms, is not very familiar to the general public. It was all the more interesting to compare both plays within one season. In the end, another director took on Horvath, and I was asked to focus on Beaumarchais’ text.
Beaumarchais's play is full of revolutionary ideas, and it is always seen as a herald of the French Revolution of 1789. But I see this play differently. The character of Figaro is, of course, remarkable, but, despite the fact that the play bears his name, he is not the most important thing here for me. This play seems avant-garde to me because of its attitude towards women. In The Marriage of Figaro, behind the master-servant conflict, there is a conflict in the woman-man relationship. This is exactly what I wanted to think about in the play with the actors of the Comedy Française.
—Despite the seriousness of your reading of Beaumarchais’s play, the audience in the hall laughs.
- I don’t like serious, even too serious performances. I don't like lessons. I myself am too independent, so I respect the independence and freedom of the audience.
I don’t like to shorten or add to the texts of plays. The plays already exist on their own and, as a rule, are so strong that they do not need our attempts to improve them. It is important for me to convey the meaning of the word to the viewer. That's what actors and directing are for.
Yes, I am attracted to humor and irony. I myself am often dissatisfied with the way things are going. So, it’s better to make people laugh than, for example, to plant bombs, showing society your dissatisfaction in this way.
-- The Comedie Française theater is a special institution for France. This is the only permanent French theater. Moreover, the oldest one has existed since 1680. Did you feel like an innovator in the camp of conservatives?
— When you stand in the center of Paris and look at the Comédie Française building from Place Collette, it frightens you with its majesty and inaccessibility. When you find yourself inside, communicate with the troupe and feel that your project is captivating, has found a response, you understand that the support of the theater and the people working in it is limitless. Then fears disappear, and working together turns into an exciting adventure.
“ Then your whole life can be considered as a great theatrical adventure.” Work at the Théâtre du Soleil with Ariane Mnouchkine, creation of her own company, current directorship at the Saint-Denis Theater near Paris. And finally, several long trips to Russia and an internship with Lev Dodin...
— Meeting Ariana was the beginning of everything for me. This is the theater I love. If I had not met Ariana, I would still have left the theater. When I got to the Theater Du Soleil, to Ariane Mnouchkine, I got the impression that I was not just in a troupe, but in a group of like-minded people. This meeting helped me understand a lot and allowed me to become who I am today.
A trip to St. Petersburg and an internship with Lev Dodin laid the foundation of the skills laid in me by Mnouchchkin. My arrival in Russia for three months in 1998-1999, at the time of rehearsals for “Chevengur,” coincided with my inner desire to move forward.
Immersing myself in Dodin's theater helped me better understand Ariana's character and her Russian roots. I suddenly caught some smells in the Dodin Theater, some energy of the Du Soleil Theater.
In general, in the Russian theater I was amazed by the dedication and power with which your artists work during rehearsals, literally biting into the material.
When I looked at the works of Pyotr Fomenko, I felt that he was the closest to me in the Russian theater. He creates real symphonies, everything about him is musical. He conveys the brutal shocks of life with gentle sounds. I really love his performances - his narration is almost always delicate and poetic.
— I know that you have been to Russia several times...
— The trip to Dodin was not the first. In the early 90s, I, together with two friends, traveled for three months around your country and your former Asian republics - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In addition to Moscow, I remember my visits to Yekaterinburg and Kustanay.
Traveling along the roads of the former Soviet Union made a huge impression on me and helped me get rid of many clichés about Russia that had lived in me since childhood. That trip helped me get closer to what is happening in Russia today. It is from that time that I feel a magical connection with your country. My subsequent visits only strengthened this connection, fueling it with friendships with a variety of Russian people, often not at all theatrical.