By attending the Emperor of the Boulevards, a play created by the company of the Joyeux de la Couronne at the Théâtre Montmartre Galabru, the spectator realizes how little he knows the life of Georges Feydeau.
The incredible destiny of Georges Feydeau
Playwright of the late nineteenth century, Feydeau is best known for his many vaudeville and boulevard plays. After Tailors for ladies, Georges Feydeau finds his audience with Monsieur chasse!. The public will continue to praise his next plays Un fil à la patte, Le Dindon, La Dame de chez Maxim… But that's without counting the competition that existed at that time in the world of playwrights: it was the century of Victor Hugo, Edmond Rostand, Sacha Guitry… The comedy-vaudeville genre will take time to impose itself. And this is where the paradox of Georges Feydeau's life lies: his acuity to observe the mores of his time and ridicule them, and his irrepressible desire for recognition. From good to bad company, he will find inspiration and perdition.
Total immersion in the nineteenth century
To immerse the viewer in the nineteenth century, the company of the Merry of the Crown invested in the costumes, all more beautiful than the others. Characters – 26 for 7 actors -, choreographies – the famous French Cancan -, songs and recorded piano soundtrack, give the joyful atmosphere of the time. Too bad, however, that there was no live pianist on stage. The scenography designed by Olivier Schmidt is ingenious with its system of curtains that divides the space into three planes, creating beautiful scenes. The play begins, as in all of Feydeau's plays, on a frantic and funny pace, with scenes with very well-oiled mechanics. Then the writing becomes more serious and questions the public on the question of the artist in eternal search for recognition and success.
A promising cast
Alexis de Chasteigner bears a disturbing resemblance to the well-known portraits of Feydeau, and despite some hangings at the articulation, he embodies it with authenticity. Olivier Schmidt, Kévin Maille and Léonard Courbier invest several characters with efficiency. As for Alexandra Magin, she goes from a young and elegant Marie-Anne Carolus, to a voluntary and determined Diane Feydeau. But we must especially talk about Séverine Wolff and Thibaut Marion. She is a versatile actress, dancer of the famous French Cancan, excellent singer who delights us at each of the passages sung and the roles she embodies to perfection. He radiates with his stage presence, both attractive and dangerous, beautiful and disturbing, transcended by this role of black angel that will lead to his loss Georges Feydeau. It is unfortunate that these two actors are not on stage any longer. Recently on the Parisian theater scene, we see many biographies of celebrities such as the famous Edmond by Alexis Michalik or The Turning Machine by Benoit Solès. Olivier Schmidt's L'Empereur des boulevards is part of this trend, and the viewer has an energetic and pleasant time. To find out about other shows to see currently in Paris, it's here ! 
