2023-08-11 16:06:47
“In this square, men sell joy. » In the main courtyard of the Palais-Royal in Paris, the public of the show The Scourge, measure for measure is greeted with a short harangue. “Above all, keep your lips shut, plague miasma is floating in the air ! »warns one of the actors standing on a column of Buren.
The speaker sets the scene: the play takes place in the capital of Austria ravaged by a deadly epidemic of plague, around the 17th century. The Duke of Vienna announces that he is leaving the city and that he entrusts the reins to his young minister, Angelo. In reality, the duke remains and disguises himself as a priest to, incognito, observe what happens when the representative of justice applies the law in a ruthless way.
Spectators with black, gold, or silver wolves should separate into groups, depending on the color of their masks. Following serious-looking servants, the crowd then disperses to the four corners of the square, where characters await them. A drum sounds, and the actors begin to play each on their side, simultaneously.
The audience chooses the scenes they want to see
While a certain Claudio is arrested and condemned to death for having transgressed a law, by impregnating his fiancée Juliette out of wedlock, contrary to the court, his sister and future nun, Isabelle, intercedes on his behalf with Angelo. But the supposedly virtuous minister immediately falls in love with her, attacks her, and faced with her refusal to submit, imposes a heartbreaking choice on her: give her her virginity or let her brother die.
This funny staging is nothing new, it’s about immersive theater. The principle is to abolish the fourth wall, to allow the actors to wander around and mingle with the public, who can go where they want.
As several scenes are played at the same time, the spectators choose the characters they want to follow, on the same principle as the books “of which you are the hero”. So they can’t see and hear everything from the room.
An ambitious staging carried by an excellent game
The process is a bit confusing at first for neophytes of immersive theater, but you get the hang of it fairly quickly. Spectators who already know the tragicomedy measure for measure of Shakespeare, on which the play is based, will have a definite advantage. On the other hand, having access to only part of the story somewhat taints the pleasure of the show.
Fortunately, we let ourselves be carried away by the emotion and the strength of the acting of the actors. Thomas Gendronneau, Molière of the male revelation of 2023, is striking in the role of Angelo, a hypocritical and shameless minister. We are also hypnotized by the intensity of the little actress Marjorie Dubus, who plays Isabelle. Trembling, she does not hesitate to plunge her eyes into those of the public during intense tirades dedicated to the survival of her brother.
We only regret the unfavorable acoustics in certain places – an embarrassment reinforced moreover by the noises of Paris – and which requires to approach very close to the actors to hear them. But it also reinforces the immersive aspect of the show.
“My fake weighs more than your real one”
We notice the ambitious and fluid writing work, which will have required more than two years of work from the director, Léonard Matton. Additions have been made to the original text, all taken from Shakespeare’s work. Several scenes come for example from Timon of Athens and bring to life the Madame Surfoutue cabaret in the middle of the Place Carrée.
The play resonates with modernity and with its environment: at the feet of the Constitutional Council, the Council of State, the Comédie-Française and the Ministry of Culture, the characters must choose the fairest application of the law. “My fake weighs more than your real one”, Angelo declares to Isabelle when she threatens to reveal his hypocritical behavior in broad daylight, an aggressor between closed doors but a severe judge of the slightest behavior contrary to morality in public.
This word is verified at the beginning of the final trial, before the duke, the highest holder of political power, supports Isabelle and saves her.
#PalaisRoyal #play #hero