“The duty of comedy is to correct men by entertaining them,” wrote Molière, in his preface to Dom Juanin 1665, a year before the creation of the Misanthrope.
It’s not Florent Siaud who will tell you the opposite. The young forty-year-old – who is making a career between Europe and Quebec – sees in this masterpiece by Molière a “profound philosophical experience”. “The ambiguity of the play is a metaphor for the changing and shifting side of human nature. In The Misanthrope, the characters are never sure of anything; especially not their relationships with others,” he summarizes in an interview with The Press, a few days before the premiere of the production, this Tuesday evening at TNM.
According to Siaud, The Misanthrope is “the most beautiful and most mastered of Molière’s plays”. And the most contemporary. “The work is necessary today because we live in an era of polarization, division and moral intransigence,” he says.
We no longer discuss with people who have a different opinion. We reject ideas that differ from ours. But here, Molière makes us think about the question of ethics by exposing a range of points of view and its opposite on the common good.
Florent Siaud, director
The Misanthrope features Alceste (Francis Ducharme), an angry man who no longer recognizes himself in the aristocratic society in which he lives. And the woman he loves, Célimène (Alice Pascual), a pretty and cunning young widow, the object of all the gallantry. Alceste’s confidant is her friend Philinthe, played by Alex Bergeron. We also find Dany Boudreault in Oronte, a lover of Célimène, who will drag Alceste to court, upset by the criticism he made of her sonnet.
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PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Francis Ducharme plays Alceste, a key character in the French repertoire
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PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The actor Alex Bergeron is Philinthe.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alice Pascual will be Célimène, one of the most important female characters of the 17th centurye century, on the TNM stage.
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THE Misanthrope juxtaposes the darkness of Alceste’s melancholy with the light of Philinthe’s humanism. Two opposing visions of the world which, despite appearances, are not incompatible. “We all waver between the intransigence of Alceste and the harmony of Philinthe,” says Siaud, specifying that the question was debated in the troupe during rehearsals. “The play confuses the issue by presenting two rigid moral positions. But society is more complicated. In life, we all wonder [parfois] whether we must live together, or isolate ourselves from others, to be happy. »
Against all odds
When Jean-Baptiste Poquelin finishes THE Misanthrope in 1666, he was in full creative swing, despite illness. The author will sign around twenty plays and ballets until 1673, the year in which he created THE imaginary illnesshis final play… before dying a few hours after the fourth performance at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal.
The play is written in twelve-foot verse; a language that is both “poetic and political”… and difficult to put into your mouth. “But I find it important to make it resonate on stage today. I often quote Boileau’s words to actors: “What we conceive well is expressed clearly and the words to say it come easily”. Alexandrine allows you to communicate clear thoughts. Which is precious in today’s world, where expression is more diffuse, muddled. Among other things on social networks. »
Florent Siaud worked a lot on verses with the troupe, but also on gestures. He chose very physical, athletic performers.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Florent Siaud takes a chiaroscuro look at the piece in verse by Molière, with very contemporary echoes.
For me, the Alexandrine is not at all a form of museum expression. It is a carnal, organic and sensory language.
Florent Siaud, director
At the center of the piece, we also find the character of Célimène, often considered superficial. Wrongly: “We do not always understand the strength and intelligence of Célimène, one of the most important female characters of the 17th centurye century, Siaud believes. We must change our view of the heroines of literature from Molière’s time. Célimène is an incarnation of the polyamorous woman and the free, emancipated woman. She is not a coquette for a penny,” concludes the director.
The Misanthrope
By Molière, production of Florent Siaud
At TNM until February 10The play will tour a few cities in Quebec, from February 28 to March 28.