Illusions perdues

In Les Illusions perdues, Balzac follows the steps of Lucien Chardon, a young idealistic poet who leaves his native Angoulême to try his luck in Paris in the 1820s, a pivotal period when modern capitalism was being built.
Pauline Bayle's adaptation focuses on Lucien's trajectory, his meteoric rise and his terrible fall. It also purifies the author's style and highlights his talent for dialogue, his taste for witty words and sharp repartee. Through a refined theatricality, with a formidable formal precision, she leaves all the space to the performers: there are five of them playing about twenty characters, ignoring genres and generations, flamboyant, petty, ambitious, crushed and twirling.

Theatre 2h30, recommended for ages 15 and up.

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