“It’s been a long time since I felt this way, it’s incredible what’s happening! At the end, people are overwhelmed, moved, happy. This reminds me of the reactions to the release of Ten Commandments », says Dove Attia. His latest musical, dedicated to Molière, has been playing since November 7 at the Dôme de Paris (15th arrondissement) and what he sees at the end of each performance delights him. The audience is captivated by the emotional crescendo leading to the playwright’s death. And he is no less touched by the conclusion in the form of a tribute to the man whose characters – Monsieur Jourdain, Harpagon, Scapin… – have established themselves as figures of national heritage.
The ambitious project took ten years to see the light of day. Dove Attia is “passionate about exceptional destinies”, as he has proven with his previous shows built around Moses, Mozart and Louis XIV. In 2013, he was referred to the biography of Molière, of which he knew nothing, by the manager of the Palais des sports. “I learned about his life, I read a lot, but I wasn’t ready to make a musical because it wasn’t easy to find the most relevant form. The classic sequence of a song/a dialogue that we are used to in France was not suitable,” explains the producer and author. His discovery, a few years later, of Come From Away and especially, Hamilton, a huge Broadway hit incorporating slam and hip-hop tracks into its libretto, tickled his inspiration. He began writing in 2019.
“We betray neither Molière nor his history”
“It didn’t have to be flashy but worthy of the character,” emphasizes Dove Attia. It was necessary to bring modernity because his works remain very current. » Anachronisms abound: the actors wear sneakers or roller skates, their tattoos are visible, the slang of the 2000s interferes in certain lines and we see photographers chasing a Molière in full glory. The scenography, as beautiful as it is stunning with its constantly moving structures, adds an additional contemporary touch. “It’s a choice that the director Ladislas Chollat and I accept. We are not betraying Molière or his story, but we are telling it in a modern way in order to interest the younger generation,” says Dove Attia.
Mission accomplished according to the anecdote he gives us: “The day before the premiere, we did a test with a CM2 class. It was great, all the kids stood up to applaud. ” He pursues :
The next day, the teacher called us to tell us that her students were asking her to study Molière. I tell myself that we have achieved part of the goal. »
“Urban opera” has become “musical spectacle”
When promotion and media outreach began, the production was sold as an “urban opera”, as its subtitle indicated. “It put off people who had liked my shows,” continues the producer. They thought it was going to be rap. In fact, it’s a relevant title because it’s an opera and there’s an urban side to slam. I would say that it resembles my previous shows, but with an innovative form: slam, dialogue and singing alternate within the same song. » But now, on the posters, the title that presents itself to the public is Molière, the musical show.
Another important change: the title role was originally to be played by Lonepsi, of which Dove Attia is a “fan”. But the artist threw in the towel a few months ago. “He told me, and I agreed: ‘I can play the Molière of the second act, the one who suffers, but the one of adolescence, a little crazy, that’s not me'”, relates the creator of the show. If it was replaced in distribution by the Quebecois PETiTOMLonepsi remains linked to the project of which he is one of the main composers.
The Japanese want another booklet
Looking back at 2023, the marriage between Molière and Armande Béjart, twenty years his junior and daughter of his former partner Madeleine Béjart, is enough to raise eyebrows. At the time, this union had been controversial because Madeleine had been presented by the detractors of the author of Tartuffe like the daughter of Molière – which was false. The fact remains that this relationship is surrounded by a certain turmoil. “There are disagreements among historians. For some, Madeleine and Armande are sisters and not mother and daughter. It is with this hypothesis that the Japanese want me to sign another version of the libretto,” reveals Dove Attia.
Because the musical show has the ambition to be exported well beyond French-speaking borders, and particularly in Asia. French creations, such as Notre Dame de Paris Or Romeo and Juliet have been a hit there in recent years. Dove Attia had found success there with Mozart the rock opera but not with The ten Commandments – the fault of a “mode of narration” that is too French, poorly suited to foreign tastes, according to the producer. The mix of genres at the heart of Molière, the musical show should, he bets, speak to the widest possible audience. While waiting to take up the challenge of international conquest, this Molière will travel the French roads from February 2024.