Fabrice Luchini reads Cioran and Tocqueville at the Théâtre des Mathurins

Fabrice Luchini's new show, Théâtre des Mathurins, is based on a book compiled by Emil Cioran, Anthologie du portrait. De Saint-Simon à Tocqueville, that Fabrice Luchini conceived his new show, presented at the Théâtre des Mathurins. These readings, focusing on literary portraits of the 18th and 19th centuries, will feature figures as varied as Madame du Deffand, Madame de Genlis, Saint-Simon and Alexis de Tocqueville. Nourished by Cioran's Cahiers, this scenic proposal would be part of a literary transmission process, between erudition and the pleasure of the text.

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In the show, Luchini would embody these views through a lively reading, punctuated by his taste for nuance and the musicality of language. These extracts would be complemented by passages from Cioran's Cahiers, in which the Romanian philosopher would appear in a more intimate, livelier light, far removed from the frozen image of the despairing thinker.

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This show could appeal to lovers of classical literature, intellectual history buffs and audiences already familiar with the work of Fabrice Luchini, known for his dialogue between theater and great literary works. The format, based solely on the reading and interpretation of texts, with no dramatic staging, might be less suited to audiences looking for visual or narrative theater. It would be a moment of listening, concentration and immersion in the language, rather than a spectacular show.

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The book behind the show, Anthologie du portrait, was published by Emil Cioran in 1984, and brings together a rigorous selection of texts in which the art of the line is exercised. The actor also mentioned in his remarks that Cioran's Cahiers had played a decisive role in the genesis of the show, revealing in his words a writer who was "funny, totally unhappy but alive".

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With L'art du Portrait selon Cioran, Fabrice Luchini proposes a plunge into French literary intelligence through texts that examine the mores, personalities and mentalities of an era. Between Saint-Simon and Tocqueville, memoirists and moralists, this show offers a journey through language as a mirror of society, carried by a voice that seeks less to convince than to convey.

This article is based on information available to date and is not based on direct observation of the show.

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