The new production of Le Legs at the Studio Théâtre of the Comédie Française moves away from traditional marivaudage to offer an uncompromising examination of human nature. Aurélien Hamard Padis presents a show where greed and pride take precedence over gallantry. The play goes beyond mere banter to reveal that our vices and personal interests dictate our actions far more reliably than noble feelings.
Vices Stronger Than Values
The term “marivaudage” often evokes lighthearted games of seduction, but this production highlights the darker undercurrents of the text. For the Marquis, greed is a far more natural and skillful instinct than romantic feeling. The Comtesse prefers to take refuge in her aristocratic pride rather than confess her love. The servants act with the same cynicism, placing financial gain above loyalty. Marivaux demonstrates here that selfishness and vanity remain our true driving forces.
An Exceptional Duo in Chupin and Sicard
The success of the production rests largely on the performances of Nicolas Chupin and Julie Sicard. Chupin embodies a dark, erratic Marquis with a disconcerting awkwardness. Opposite him, Julie Sicard portrays a thoroughly believable Comtesse, caught between confusion at the Marquis’s hesitations and disdain for incompetent servants. The precision of her gestures makes her character captivating.
Their stage presence is such that one would sometimes like to see them command the stage alone.
An Ambiguous Reading of Hortense
Claire de La Rüe du Can brings intelligence and genuine authenticity to Hortense. She plays her not as a schemer, but as a woman legitimately determined to claim what is hers.
The play opens with Hortense attempting to bribe the servant, which raises questions about the morality of a woman intended to be seen as emancipated. The staging leaves the most complex facets of her character in the shadows.
Scenography, Sound Design and Unexplained Intrigue
The set surprises with an aesthetic reminiscent of a seaside resort bar serving cucumber water. In the intimate space of the Studio Théâtre, lavish sets are unnecessary, but this particular choice (intended perhaps as a modern fêtes galantes) struggles to convince beyond its atmospheric effect.
Aurélien Hamard-Padis thankfully avoids superfluous musical numbers. Instead, he favors a minimal, subdued sound design that sustains tension without ever overshadowing the text.
One directorial choice proved intriguing to me from the outset: the Marquis and Hortense appear on stage together before the action begins. This silent presence suggests a secret complicity that might explain Hortense’s shifts in behavior toward the Comtesse. Yet this line of inquiry is never confirmed or developed further.
An Invitation to Reread Marivaux
Rather than providing ready-made answers, this production invites audiences to dive back into Marivaux’s language to unlock its complexity.
If the purpose of theater is to morally educate the public and elevate minds (a deeply debatable notion, but accepted here hypothetically) this production achieves its goal admirably despite its minor flaws.
By refusing easy solutions, the production fulfills its role and confirms its core premise: in Marivaux’s work, the truth of human relationships lies primarily in the clash of self-interest and vanity.