Berger and Plamondon’s opera-rock disturbs and excites in its 2022 version

Of course the first question that arises is whether those who have seen the starmania original from 1979 (with France Gall, Daniel Balavoine, Diane Dufresne and Fabienne Thibeault), or will all those who have listened to his indestructible hits since then adhere to this new version? The answer is YES, hands down!

In Monopolis, the dark, violent and futuristic city where the plot takes place, the hits follow one another at the speed of the light of the neon lights that streak the city: When you arrive in town, The businessman’s blues, A boy like the others, One against the other, The world is stoned, Need for love, SOS for an Earthling in distressoriginally sung by Balavoine on a vocal flight that opened the doors to fame… music) and Plamondon (for the lyrics).

Raphaël Hamburger, the son of France Gall and Michel Berger at the initiative of this renaissance, has surrounded himself with a high-flying team: Nicolas Ghesquière signs the costumes, the Belgian Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui the choreographies, Victor Le Masne the musical direction. As for Thomas Jolly, he opts for a skilful mix of pure and spectacular: the central decor in perpetual motion splits in two, evoking the city of Metropolis by Fritz Lang, subjected to a dictatorial power.

Around this cluster of skyscrapers, punctuated with iron spikes, we salute the extraordinary work on the lights (Thomas Jolly and Emmanuelle Favre) which gives its true identity to the show and which finds its acme with The Businessman’s Blues.

The tables are linked in the first part, where the eight characters meet more than they speak to each other: Zéro Janvier, the billionaire who builds skyscrapers and the Guru Marabout who advocates a return to nature are both candidates at the presidency of the West, Cristal, the television star falls in love with the anarchist zonard Johnny Rockfort, the revolutionary Sadia who will soon pledge allegiance to the fascist candidate, Marie-Jeanne, the automaton waitress and her friend Ziggy.

Ziggy, one of the first figures of homosexuality on stage, seeks recognition and light through a certain reality show. Ziggy’s Song (taken over by Celine Dion in the 1990s) gives rise to a very beautiful scene where the character finds himself surrounded by a multitude of other Ziggy in blond curly wigs. A first part that ends with the mysterious kidnapping of Cristal by Johnny Rockfort and the Black Stars gang.

With the second part and the entry on stage of the moving and fragile character of the actress on the decline, Stella Spotlight, manipulated by the apprentice dictator Zéro Janvier, we get to the heart of the matter. Thomas Jolly brings a real dramatic dimension to the show. We discover to what extent these standards of French song had ended up erasing the plot of a disturbing topicality. Zéro Janvier evokes Berlusconi but also Trump or Bolsonaro.

We also talk about violence and loneliness in sprawling cities, media manipulation, the race for fame, the environment… Starmania, prophetic, tells us about today’s world, with things we didn’t have not necessarily seen at the time and which in 2022 jump out at us.

This daring production also bets on young talents. We will mention them all: Lilya Adad in the role of Cristal, Côme in Johnny Rockfort, Miriam Baghdassarian in Sadia, David Latulippe in Zéro Janvier, Simon Geoffroy in Gourou Marabout. Special mention to the disturbing weariness of Magali Goblet in Stella Spotlight, whose silhouette recalls Dalida whose fate we know. Without forgetting Alex Montembault as Marie-Jeanne, with such a natural voice, who inherited the greatest number of hits (A boy like no other, against each other, the world is stoned), which she defends with a real presence.

Nothing is missing from this new starmania which will go on tour in February, neither the silhouette of Michel Berger in front of his piano, nor the video of France Gall singing at the time Need love. Hats off, artists!

“Starmania” by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon
Directed by Thomas Jolly
Until January 29 at the musical Seine, then on tour
Ile Seguin, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt
01 74 34 54 00