◎Cao Xuemeng
The Paris Olympic Games, which ended not long ago, had too many "unexpected" and "deep impressions", such as the "astounding" nine books at the opening ceremony. For the vast majority of Chinese audiences, the works in this list are niche and the authors are unfamiliar. Among them, the most familiar ones include Maupassant and Molière. Molière's "The Gorgeous Lover", which appeared in it, is far less well-known than his works such as "The Hypocrite" and "The Miser", and is even regarded as one of his most neglected plays. But from another perspective, the selection of this hidden gem for the opening ceremony also confirms the important status of this playwright from nearly 400 years ago on today's France and even the world stage.
It’s crazy to want to be a noble
Next month, Chinese people can experience the authentic “taste” from Molière’s hometown again - the Comédie Française will come to China again after 13 years to bring the work "The Conspiracy of Scapan" 》. In fact, since the Comédie Française came to China in 2011 to perform "Mourning", Molière's works such as "The Hypocrite", "The Scrooge", "The Mystery", "The Schoolgirl" and "Monsieur de Poursouac" have all been It was brought to the Chinese stage by troupes from all over the world. In 2022, the Comédie Française will re-perform "The Miser" and "The Hypocrite" to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Molière's birth. The images of the two works last year were introduced to China for screening. This summer, also through video screenings, domestic audiences saw this ancient theater's new interpretation of Molière's "The Enchantment."
"The Enchantment" is an important work in Molière's later period, which was first performed in 1670. The protagonist of the story, Ruerdan, already has a fortune, and his goal in life is to become a noble. For this reason, he was arty and tried hard to package himself as a high-class person. He hired dance teachers, music teachers, swordsmanship teachers and philosophy teachers to give lessons, and also hired tailors to make so-called aristocratic clothes, but the actual effect was ridiculous. He regarded Count Dauraant as a true friend, and sent a steady stream of gifts to the Marquise whom he was obsessed with through her. But in fact Dauraant just wanted to get money from him. He took his money and sent gifts to the Marquise himself. Buy well to show love. In order to become a nobleman, Jourdain regarded his daughter's marriage as a bargaining chip and asked her to marry a nobleman. As a result, his daughter's sweetheart Cleonte pretended to be a Turkish prince and made him miserable. The ending of the story is that the lovers finally get married, and Rudan becomes a laughing stock.
In the early 1760s, in order to cater to the preferences of Louis XIV, Molière collaborated with the court composer Lully to create a new art form-comedy ballet, which blended drama, music, and dance, but still Put drama at the heart. In the past ten years, they have collaborated on many similar works, among which "The Noble Man" is one of their masterpieces. Molière himself played the role of Jourdain in "The Enchantment", and Lully would appear on stage during the last scene of Jourdain's canonization ceremony and join the lively dance team. It is said that Lully once jumped into the orchestra pit and smashed a piano during a performance because he was so devoted to his performance, which won the full house's applause.
But in the end the two broke up. In 1672, Lully created the genre of "musical tragedy", which is regarded as the earliest and truly French opera; at this time, Molière was about to reach the end of his life.
Let him live and give him sympathy
Since the birth of "The Noble Man", it has been adapted into various forms such as music suites, operas, ballets, dramas, etc., with different styles and interests.
At the Utrecht Baroque Music Festival in 2005, the French Orchestra of Harmony and Poetry collaborated with director Benjamin Lazar to present a version of "The Enchantment" that closely matched the original work. They restored the music and dance interludes composed by Lully, using candlelight as the only light source on the stage, and the costumes and makeup were particularly elegant, giving a retro atmosphere.
In 2015, the Paris Nord Theater Company staged an impressive version of "The Lover" at the National Center for the Performing Arts.Ruudan wore an outfit weighing 32 pounds. During the performance of the canonization ceremony, Ruudan wore a pan on his head, his face was covered with oil, and his body was covered with confetti. He sat on a pillar in the middle of the stage, looking as if he was He looks satisfied with his success and fame, but he doesn't realize that he is being regarded as a clown. Denis Podaride, director of
's version of "The Enchantment," believes that Jourdain "was simply forced into a state of ignorance because he could not become the kind of person he longed to be, because aristocracy is determined by birth, and It cannot be acquired through study.” In the director's opinion, Jourdan finally got his wish when he was awarded the ridiculous title of "Mama Muqi". "At that moment he was both the fool and the winner."
If this understanding reflects a kind of "sympathy", then this version of "The Enchantment" by the Comédie Française can also be regarded as expressing similar emotions.
The Comedy Française version takes Jourdain's absurdity to another level - his crown is made up of a urinal shape and pink roll paper, and his scepter is a white toilet brush. The "clergy" who canonized him were dressed in "costumes" made up of brooms, mops, rubber gloves, lamps, kettles, fruits and vegetables, etc. Ruerdan, who climbed up to the high platform to accept the canonization, seemed to have stepped onto the altar. The roll of paper on his head was pulled away by everyone and turned into a long streamer. His face was solemn and he looked around, as if he had entered the realm of transformation. His air was like being crowned emperor. , It’s not an exaggeration to ascend to become a god.
Based on Molière's original work, this version of "The Enchantment" adds and strengthens the laughter of the entire play. On the stage, we see the philosophy with dry and curved fingers like a witch and sharp black nails. Professor; I saw Madame Jourdain, who was wearing a black top, a long dark skirt, high heels, and her hair tied into a crown; I saw the Marquise's long skirt like a cake tower, and Jourdain's crooked crown was like a giant marshmallow. wigs; there are also singing sheep puppets, squawking fish, clams and wild boars on the table... The director said that some of the inspiration came from "Game of Thrones" and "Harry Potter".
When the surroundings become more bizarre and divorced from reality, and the more serious and convinced Jourdan is, the greater the contrast is, the stronger the absurdity is, and the more pathetic the image of Jourdan is, which brings deep emotions to the audience. The vibrations become more severe. Molière made bitter and sharp attacks on money worship and profit-seeking, as well as the affectation and indolence of the aristocracy. But Jourdan is not just the object of satire, he is also a tragic figure, hateful, ridiculous, and sad.
Defects and Alienation of Human Nature
Molière's drama touches on the defects and alienation in society and human nature in a way that makes people laugh, pointing to the chronic diseases of the times, the gloom and hopelessness of reality, and the plight of human existence. It conveys a "comedy sadness" with a variety of characters and hilarious stories. As Jiao Juyin said in "On Molière", the characteristic of Molière's comedy is that the connotation of the script is full of "sorrow" elements, "describing the contradictory mechanical and repetitive parts." , even though it is a tragedy, the audience will laugh... After laughing, it will make you think deeply; or after you think deeply, you will feel infinite sadness. This is Molière's drama The real effectiveness."
This version of the French Comedy did not end the play with a ballet as written in the script, but stayed with the mockery of Jourdain: "If there is still one in the world. It would be a wonder to see someone crazier than him." After that, looking at the people walking away in laughter, Ruerdan took off his "crown" and picked up his "scepter" and looked at it again and again. , and then suddenly threw it aside, and fell down on the steps without saying a word.
Christian Eco, the director of the show, said in an interview, "For villains, villains or other unlikable characters, we will try to make the audience not resist him... Therefore, we want Mr. Jourdain to look cute Some, despite his shortcomings. "Perhaps, we can understand this ending as a bit of warmth from the creator - giving the protagonist a chance to wake up, and also giving outsiders a warning.
Let’s talk about Lu Li, Molière’s former partner. He continued to climb the ranks, first becoming director of the Royal Academy of Dance, and then convincing Louis XIV to issue a decree restricting the development of other musicians. In 1681, Lully was made a nobleman by Louis XIV. He added "de" (de), which symbolizes noble status, to his name, achieving a class jump. However, a few years later, he was injured when he accidentally poked his baton into his foot during a conductor, and eventually died.
Bringing comedy to the edge of tragedy is the greatness of Molière and the enduring power of his works. Photo courtesy of
/new scene
