Le Bémol: an orchestral play at the Théâtre des Variétés

The play "Le Bémol" brings together Pascal Légitimus, Anne Parillaud and Lionel Abelanski at the Théâtre des Variétés, from June 3 to 21, 2025, in an orchestral comedy in which personal tensions disrupt a seemingly harmonious evening.

Cyril Massarotto 's Le Bémol is a situation comedy with musical overtones, carried by a popular and contrasting cast. Pascal Légitimus plays Antoine, an elegant but breathless conductor on the verge of professional and personal implosion. Opposite him, Lionel Abelanski plays Philippe, a whimsical violinist with a playful, unpredictable personality. This old musical complicity turns into a verbal duel, in a falsely hushed setting where everything threatens to spin out of control.

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Between embarrassing revelations, old grudges and clumsy attempts to pick up the pieces, Le Bémol plays on the rhythm of dialogue and the clash of personalities. The dramatic score, although centered on a musical milieu, would not require a classical culture to be understood: human relationships would be the real melody.

The target audience would seem to be contemporary, well-oiled boulevard comedies, fond of theatrical confrontations, misunderstandings and sometimes absurd flights of fancy. Those who enjoyed Le Prénom, Un dîner de famille or Voyage en absurdie may find a familiar tone here. On the other hand, audiences looking for a deeper reflection on the world of music, or for more naturalistic theater, may be put off by the deliberately offbeat nature of some of the situations in Le Bémol .

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Anne Bouvier, an actress and director whose work is regularly praised for its precise direction of actors and its sense of rhythm, is to direct the play. As for the author, Cyril Massarotto, he would transpose his taste for portraits of fragile, funny characters into a choral format, conducive to breaks in tone and sharp dialogue.

With Le Bémol, the Théâtre des Variétés offers a play that is both light and nervous, where musical virtuosity is overshadowed by relationship chaos. A comedy of facades, where deep-seated tensions build to a crescendo, right up to the breaking point.

This article is based on information available about the show. It is not based on a direct viewing of the play.

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