Experiencing Balzac at the Theatre de Poche

Descending into the subterranean venue of the Theatre de Poche Montparnasse, you are shown to your section of a bench. This modest environment might initially make you wonder, “Do I really like theater this much? What am I doing here?” However, what follows is a delightful surprise. Pierre Olivier Mornas and Alice d’Arceaux put on a performance and do all the stage work to create a theatrical experience that rivals anything that you might see at larger, better funded venues.

The production brings Petites Miseres De La Vie Conjugale to the stage in Paris. The two actors portray the characters Caroline and Adolphe. These two figures serve as the archetypal married couple. The play shows their everyday quarrels and dissects the specific aspects of their relationship.

These fine actors prove that million dollar budgets are not the only way to create great theater. Their acting is superb and the adaptation of the Honore de Balzac work shows a deep understanding and appreciation of the original text.

Adaptation of Honoré de Balzac

Pierre Olivier Mornas created this adaptation by combining two major works from the author. He merged passages from Petites Miseres De La Vie Conjugale and Physiologie Du Mariage. The play retains the sharp irony and humor of Balzac regarding married life. The staging organizes itself around several distinct moments of domestic life. These individual scenes explain how daily arguments start over trivial matters. The lighting design by Alireza Kishipour helps define the transitions between these different domestic moments.

The Original Texts

Balzac wrote Physiologie Du Mariage in 1829 and published Petites Miseres De La Vie Conjugale in various pieces over the following fifteen years. He approached the topic of marriage with the eye of an observer cataloging its daily frictions. He watched the bourgeois society of Paris and saw marriage primarily as a financial and social contract.

Balzac himself remained single for almost his entire life and conducted numerous affairs with married women. These relationships gave him direct access to the complaints of dissatisfied wives. If there is an analogue for the author in the play, it is Adolphe’s cousin Ferdinand, the lover who takes on the slack of keeping Caroline happy.

The Performances

Pierre Olivier Mornas undoubtedly looks like Balzac. This resemblance adds an intimate and authentic atmosphere to the room. It feels as if the author himself is present on stage to deliver his own observations.

Mornas’ portrayal of the cheating, bored husband is full of authenticity. His body language and facial expressions react perfectly against the passionate and physical performance of d’Arceaux as Caroline. Both actors deliver the complex language of the author very clearly.

Mornas effectively balances his acting duties with his role as the director. Their humorous portrayal of living together highlights the shifting household power dynamics and the ongoing competition to have the final word.

In a delightful twist, the mother in law is brilliantly played by a table lamp. This detail might stem from budgetary constraints or simply be a brilliant casting choice.

Conclusion

This performance offers a lively and lucid look at the married couple. The play serves as a useful guide for married people and a humorous outlet for single individuals. It invites the audience to laugh, reflect, and perhaps recognize themselves in the daily struggles of Caroline and Adolphe.

But more importantly, Pierre Olivier Mornas and Alice d’Arceaux have helped us rediscover the work of Balzac and the power of intimate theater.