Eric Ruf, the captain's farewell after eleven years of epic work at the Comédie-Française

We feel it, we smell it in the labyrinthine corridors of the Comédie-Française, in these May days: as much as joy, a certain scent of melancholy floats in the air. Joy, of course, to see the eleven years of administration of Eric Ruf close on the resounding success of The Satin Slipper , signed by the boss of the house : a shower of Molières , tickets sold like hotcakes, and the programming of the show in the Cour d'honneur of the Palais des Papes, in Avignon, in July. And melancholy, because this fireworks also whistles the end of the game for an administration which has put the Comédie-Française back on the forefront of the French theater scene, by modernizing it in depth, on both the artistic and societal levels.

On August 4, Eric Ruf will leave the large director's office overlooking Place Colette in Paris, to make way for Clément Hervieu-Léger . On May 21, he announced the last season he has programmed: a special season, which will take place partly off-site , due to work in the Richelieu hall. It's time to take stock. "With him, the Français has become the place to be," soberly sums up a programmer known for his sharp wit.

You have 90.27% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.