SBS radio interview
with Jean-Yves Brignon (in French)
Cast Lou-Ann Aubin, Olivia Auday, Loic Barancourt, Harley de Burgh, Luc Marin, Christine Poplimont, Rachel Wach
Directed by Jean-Yves Brignon
Communication Maïté Cosserat
Technician Quentin Lesage
Reception Staff Lou-Ann Aubin, Oriane Mottram, Mahaud Armand
Translation Elisabeth Burke, notes
Performances from 22th to 25th of October 2014 - 8pm - Sat 25, 3pm & 8pm
The Fig Tree, UNSW, High St, Gate 4, Kensington, NSW
Entry : $17 - $20
A play by Marivaux - a play in French with English subtitles.
A comedy of scintillating dialogue, this is Marivaux’ most celebrated and performed play. Who has not dreamt of becoming a fly on the wall so as to better observe someone, warts and all?
Alarmed at the idea of marrying a man she does not know, Silvia decides to take the place of her maidservant Lisette who, in turn, must appear to be her mistress. In this role she will be better able to observe her betrothed. Unbeknown to them, Dorante and his valet Harlequin, have had the same idea!
“Would that I could kiss these sweet words, and pluck them from
your lips with mine.“
In their effort to imitate, the characters offer a delicious parody full of comic effects. From surprises of mistaken love, to complications arising out of hilarious situations, this is a witty farce. The physical acrobatics of Commedia dell’Arte that typically lampooned institutional hierarchy were transmogrified by some 17thC and 18thC French playwrights into what became known as Italian Comedy. In the process fully scripted plays replace improvised scenarios; subtle characters replace stock types; and domestic intrigue is more evident than national politics. Both genres are subversive: they delight in exposing confusion and mischief. Marivaux focuses his lens on how chance opens the game to love. And love allows itself to go to unexpected places.
The Play
In this work created in 1730, Marivaux tests love in a play of double disguises and a production where actors are simultaneously characters and spectators. The seeming light-weight, amusing characters and the honing of language from noble to peasant-like, serve to heighten both the deep concerns of the characters and a subtle critique of social inequality. Does one dare transgress the expectations of one’s birth? Some are astonished to find themselves attracted to someone of inferior class. Others are filled with wonder and give in to the seduction as they discover that they are able to love outside of the group into which they were born.
“Oh, one’s lot is strange! Neither of these two men is where he belongs.” (I,7)
The characters discover who they themselves really are, and the injustices that surround them. Social order is challenged by a revolutionary truth: “Valour is as good as birthright” (III,8). But no one imagines that it could change. For each of them, dressing-up would be an opportunity to learn to overcome prejudice and not bask in illusion.
“Remember that one is not master of one’s destiny?” (II,5)
Direction
Un-bothered by realism and the plausibility of disguise/dressing-up, the author’s tactic becomes clear when one sees Harlequin play the role of master so badly, and Silvia fails to pick it. Coarse expressions of the valet/master follow some beautiful phrases. No need for a precise décor, the family unit frames the plot. Nothing motivates the entrances and exists of the characters. They are there when needed. We do not care what they are doing in the wings. All that matters is the devilish plot on the stage.
From the beginning the spectator is warned of the trickery. So it is advisable to jettison anything extraneous to the story and abandon oneself to the pleasures this theatrical convention has to offer. “One sees some charming beings and is immediately engaged, a ticklish situation needing a resolution, its unfolding from scene to scene is expertly crafted, it is a ruse focused on four young people who in the end find happiness, under the amused gaze of two master puppeteers.” [Andre Durand, Comptoir littéraire]
The Game of Love and Chance
Dram'in French - ABN : 91 829 230 115 - Copyright © 2014