Our favorite actor, Clovis Cornillac, stepping into the shoes of the king of Impressionism, Claude Monet, is the unexpected winning combination currently enchanting the stage at Théâtre de la Madeleine. Directed by Tristan Petitgirard (Molière 2019), the play reveals a Monet facing a massive creative block, who in 1892 decides to lock himself away for several months above a lingerie shop in Rouen… to paint the cathedral.
A painter who we can’t even see in painting
Grumpy and cynical, the artist seems to be off to a bad start with his project. Barely settled, refusing to get out of bed, he is joined by Camille (Maud Baecker), a young model from the shop who came to try on a corset. Picture a romantic, optimistic blonde straight out of a Jane Austen novel, who irritates and frustrates a bitter Monet. He would gladly pay for peace and quiet, but this liberated young woman can’t stand to see her neighbor wallow in his misery. Determined to reignite his inspiration, she pushes him to paint. Could she illuminate Monet's artistic vision, as his cataracts begin to cloud his eyes?
A play of light
This play is a true ode to artistic creation. We meet Monet at a little-known period of his life, far from his idyllic Giverny and his near-priceless masterpieces. Clovis Cornillac portrays a man who is by turns unbearable, pitiful, and endearing in his role as the gruff artist. The character of the painter in the midst of an artistic crisis contrasts with Camille’s sunny and hopeful disposition. Maud Baecker is captivating, transforming into Monet's muse, and almost embodying joy itself. We laugh with her and grumble with him.
A special mention goes to the staging, where, in the simple setting of a small attic room, the lighting bathes the invisible cathedral outside the window in shades of gold and pink, illustrating the painter’s journey between pessimism and inspiration, from darkness to rediscovered clarity. Dans les Yeux de Monet becomes almost a poetic and enchanting rom-com on stage.
At the Théâtre de la Madeleine, from Wednesday to Saturday at 9 PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 PM.
