On Wednesday, April 1st and Thursday, April 2nd at the Bernadette-Lafont theater, Christophe Mirambeau will stage “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini.
The first performances opened last September during the season at the Opéra de Reims. The production was then recently presented in Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne, and after the performances in Nîmes, the adventure will continue. We already have dates set for the upcoming schedule with the troupe.
Clearly, my Toulouse origins were a significant part of my artistic journey, especially in the context of musical theater. Until I was 22 years old, while my friends attended rock concerts, I frequented the Capitole theater incredibly regularly. I started seeing particularly heavy lyrical works at the age of 9, like Wagner’s “The Mastersingers of Nuremberg” or Richard Strauss’s “Salome.” I have always been passionate about music and vocal art.
“The Barber of Seville” is not something I work on frequently at all; it’s actually an exception to the rule. Generally, I focus on rare or completely unknown works, and when I consult archives related to well-known titles, I make a point of delving deeper and forming my own judgment. For example, I have introduced works like Paul Misraki’s “Normandie” or Félixi Fourdrain’s “Contes de Perrault” to the Frivolités Parisiennes company, where I have been the artistic advisor for 11 years.
“Context of a Francoist Spain of the 50s”
For this production of “The Barber of Seville,” I decided to set it in the context of Francoist Spain in the 1950s. As an emblematic work in Rossini’s repertoire, the “Barber” allowed me to offer a vision that highlights the humor and whimsical character that the work suggests. I chose to replace the recitatives with dialogues in French to make it completely accessible to the audience. I want a 4-year-old child to understand the stakes. The stage set is associated with machinery that moves progressively. My hope is that the audience leaves the theater with a smile on their faces.
Details: At the Bernadette-Lafont theater, Wednesday, April 1st at 7:00 PM and Thursday, April 2nd at 8:00 PM. Tel. 04 66 36 65 10, theatredenimes.com
