Star Merchants extended at the Splendid: our review

The Star Merchants, a play by Anthony Michineau directed by Julien Alluguette, has extended at the Splendid in Paris until January 3, 2027. Already prize-winning and Molière-nominated, this piece set under the Occupation returns to the stage with its family saga set in France in 1942.

The story unfolds in June 1942, inside a Parisian fabric warehouse. Raymond Martineau, a boss with a sun-soaked temperament, is trying to preserve a sense of normalcy for his family and his workers. In this workshop, life goes on despite the war, the Occupation, and the creeping compromises that take root. Joseph, the youngest employee, has a Breton father and a Jewish mother, while Louis, the eldest, now spends time with a collaborator.

From this frame, The Star Merchants probes the gray areas of an era in which everyone negotiates with fear, self-interest, blindness, or courage. The play focuses less on grand historical figures than on ordinary people, caught in a situation that compels them to choose a side.

Anthony Michineau penned the text for this play, directed by Julien Alluguette. The production drew particular notice at the Avignon Festival, where Michineau won the Best Playwright award in 2023, while Alluguette took the Best Director prize in 2024. At the 2025 Molières, Guillaume Bouchède received the Molière for Best Actor in a private-theatre production for his performance in the play.

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The cast will rotate, announced in alternating lineups. It brings together, notably, Guillaume Bouchède, Stéphanie Caillol, Nicolas Martinez, Axelle Dodier, Julien Crampon and Anthony Michineau, with additional performers depending on the date. The play is to be found at the Splendid, in Paris’s 10th arrondissement.

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Our review:

A play you simply have to see, whether with family or not. The play by Anthony Michineau tackles topics that have long sparked controversy, without taboos: the occupation, the collaborators, the neutrals, the antisemitism among the French. Many lines are unsettling, to the point of making us uncomfortable, which is precisely why it's essential for both teenagers and adults to experience it. Anthony Michineau also makes us laugh, with sharp jokes that relieve the tension of the piece.

The text is elevated by a troupe of six excellent actors! It’s hard not to be moved by the family father, played by Guillaume Bouchède, with a warm southern accent, a doting dad who is not antisemitic for an iota, but not exactly resistant either. Performed to perfection, the play truly transports us into the daily life of a French family living in 1942 under German occupation. Marcel, portrayed by Nicolas Martinez, is almost unbearable to listen to and watch; the actor’s eyes convey a troubling kind of frenzy. An immersive experience thanks to a standout script and remarkable performers. We highly recommend you go see the play as soon as you can.

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