The Marriage of Figaro at La Scala: a comedy that is highly topical, performed by Philippe Torreton.

What if Beaumarchais' most famous comedy were, in fact, about our own era? The Marriage of Figaro, directed by Léna Bréban, takes on a disturbing resonance at La Scala Paris, with Philippe Torreton in the role of the Count, from November 6, 2025, to January 4, 2026. Beneath its vaudeville exterior, the play delivers a lucid indictment of abuse of power, social hypocrisy, and power relations. It is a social fresco with more than contemporary echoes, performed on stage but experienced in everyday life.

A few steps from the Grands Boulevards, in the setting of the La Scala Paris theater, Beaumarchais' cult play regains a striking political vitality. On stage, the plot unfolds with lightness: Figaro wants to marry Suzanne, but the Count, tired of his wife, has his eye on the maid and tries to reactivate a seigneurial right that he had just abolished. Meanwhile, Marceline demands Figaro as promised, Basile covets her, Cherubino falls in love with everyone in sight, and Fanchette remains the center of male desire. Behind the games of love, a whole social critique is taking shape.

Social criticism disguised as light comedy.

Don't be fooled by the laughter that erupts: beneath the comic mask lies a sharp look at our world. In 1784, Beaumarchais was already pointing out the violence of class relations, organized injustice, and women forced to manage male desires without having asked for it. Even today, these themes resonate strongly, and the staging highlights the striking parallels. The Count has the air of a contemporary predator, Figaro's passion becomes a struggle for dignity, and Suzanne embodies a silent but firm resistance.

The text then becomes a mirror, a discreet cry in the tumult: how long will we have to laugh to keep from crying? This version of The Marriage of Figaro questions as much as it entertains, offering a biting reflection on the permanence of inequalities and the mechanisms of domination that are still at work.

A living, committed theater open to new encounters.

If you are curious about literature and socially engaged theater, if you like texts with double meanings and dynamic staging, this play is for you. Are you a teacher or student? Two events related to the play invite you to extend the experience: a meeting with the actors on November 17, followed by a master class led by Philippe Torreton on November 20, both organized at the Piccola Scala.

Registration is free but mandatory, by email (see practical information at the bottom of the article). Teachers are asked to provide a list of participants when registering as a group.

A provocative Figaro

The Marriage of Figaro at La Scala is aimed at theater enthusiasts, lovers of revisited classic texts, and spectators curious to make the connection between history and current events. It is an ideal experience to enjoy with friends, for a memorable cultural outing, or with family and older teenagers capable of grasping its subtleties. The tone is lively, the language sharp, and the subject matter sometimes crude: those looking for light entertainment without involvement or theater that is purely recreational may find it uncomfortable.

But if you have always been intrigued by the way great texts have stood the test of time, if you like to see theater as a place for reflection as well as pleasure, then this production is for you. 

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Trailer for The Marriage of Figaro at La Scala:

In this version of The Marriage of Figaro, theater becomes a space of resonance between centuries, where the issues of yesterday shed light on those of today. Far from being a simple tribute to Beaumarchais, it is a theatrical statement that questions our era without ever naming it, holding up a mirror that is sometimes funny, sometimes chilling. Perhaps this is a way of reminding us that certain revolutions remain to be made, and that theater, in its essence, remains a place of vigilance as much as of pleasure.

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