Written in 1760, Carlo Goldoni’s comedy has never been performed at the Comédie-Française, perhaps overshadowed by the famous_Holiday Trilogy_. A satire of the Venetian merchant class, embodied by narrow-minded, complaining and intolerant men whose mistrust of the fairer sex borders on the absurd, The Boors perfectly illustrates Goldoni’s theatre, a “theatre of life with a real content, characters observed in reality, and a natural expression.” Thus, a theatre in which the man Voltaire described as “nature’s son and painter” scrutinises his contemporaries, their relationships and their social behaviour. His work served to entertain while providing posterity with an acute testimony of the morals of his time. Indeed, Jean-Louis Benoit warns against reducing the author to a simple “photographer of reality”. He is much more than that. “Fascinated by social man”, this “comic poet” asks us to look at ourselves and see where we stand, to become aware of the inexhaustible richness of everyday life, and reflect on the world instead of just enduring it.”
Jean-Louis Benoit is a Comédie-Française regular with a great love for the Troupe, with whom he has staged seven productions since 1992, including Scapin and The Government Inspector, both of which earned him Molière awards for best director. The Boors marks his return after an eleven-year absence.

Mise en scène : Jean-Louis Benoit
Décor : Alain Chambon
Costumes : Marie Sartoux
Lumières : David Debrinay
Réalisation sonore : Dominique Bataille
Maquillages et coiffures : Catherine Bloquère
Assistante à la mise en scène : Marjolaine Aizpiri
Assistante aux costumes : Géraldine Ingremeau