On Sunday, April 26th, a little over 200 theaters in France screened “Le Cid,” the live broadcast of the Comédie-Française production, featuring Benjamin Lavernhe among others. With over 40,000 spectators, this screening set a record for live theater attendance in cinemas. Our editor was among those 40,000 delighted viewers.
“The Cid” by Pierre Corneille…1637
“O rage! O despair! O old age enemy! Have I then lived so little for this infamy?” “I am young, it is true, but for noble souls, valor does not wait for the number of years.” “Rodrigue, do you have a heart?” “To triumph without peril is to triumph without glory.” “Overwhelmed by the misfortunes where destiny places me, I shall mourn them. Go, run, fly and avenge us.” “We started five hundred, but with a prompt reinforcement, We found ourselves three thousand upon arrival at the port.”
And of course, the most famous oxymoron in the French language: “This obscure light that falls from the stars.”
These alexandrines, heard a thousand times yet somehow reinvented by the formidable troupe of the Comédie-Française. The Comédie-Française? Place Colette? In the first arrondissement of Paris? No, no need to go that far. It was on Sunday, April 26th at the Pathé Carré de Soie in Vaulx-en-Velin.
A live broadcast of one of the greatest successes of French classical theater, “Le Cid,” in a daring and lively staging by Denis Podalydes, complemented by the graceful set design by Eric Ruf and of course, modern actors who bring a contemporary touch to every verse of Pierre Corneille, all in the sumptuous costumes by Christian Lacroix. An energetic, colorful performance, punctuated by the chic staccato of alexandrines, embodying the concept of a total spectacle.
Room 04 was packed at the Pathé Carré de Soie cinema, with many families and delighted teenagers. I can assure you, when the lights came back on, the room was just as illuminated by the smiles on our faces.
NB: The next live broadcast from the Comédie-Française, “Hamlet,” will be screened on Sunday, June 7th at 3 PM, under the Pathé Live banner.
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