Surprises and emotion, struggles and causes, spades, beautiful prizes, and in particular the crowning of a Shakespeare play, good and bad jokes, lengths and small moments of grace... after a white year due to pandemic the night of Molières made a real comeback, this Monday evening at the Folies Bergère, in Paris, and as a bonus on France 3. A joyful and festive 33rd edition, at a sometimes improbable pace, gaining in intensity over of the evening, which was orchestrated with elegance by a fit Alex Vizorek, master of ceremonies quoting the boss, Molière, at each transition between the prizes.
Molière - whose 400th anniversary is celebrated - under whose aegis the Belgian launched himself, coming out of a big birthday cake for the occasion.
"I hope everyone was able to get in, it's not the Stade de France", launched the humorist, very lively, very quickly greeting the new Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak.
"I had prepared valves on Roselyne Bachelot, you do not have the same course, I did not hear you at the Big heads".
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A new guardianship placed, as is de rigueur, alongside Delphine Ernotte, president of France Télévisions.
“I hope you haven't talked too much about the removal of the royalty,” he jokes cheekily, slipping a quick note on the most named shows.
Teasingly, he points out that Christian Hecq, bald, "does not play the boiled egg" in "Le Voyage de Gulliver", which he directs with his companion Valérie Lesort.
And immediately slap himself.
"I prefer to put it on myself, in a ceremony when we make jokes about the capillarity of a spouse, the other gets up and sticks one to you", he specifies, referring to the blow dealt by Will Smith to Chris Rock at the Oscars.
"Gulliver's journey" which is twice rewarded, two new Molières for the duo of stage magicians.
But at this great celebration, it is indeed a Shakespeare who emerges as the big winner.
Nominated five times, "As you like it" by the great William receives four statuettes, that of the best show in the private sector, the best actress in the private sector for Barbara Schulz, the sparkling staging for Léna Bréban and Ariane Mourier in second role. feminine, already Molière of the revelation in 2019.
Two Molières for “Les Producteurs” directed by Michalik
Like this festive spectacle, the statuettes seemed to salute lightness, a color already visible in the selection.
Thus, the best show in the public is a comedy - "Les Gros patinent bien" - while Mal Brooks' musical "Les Producteurs", directed by Alexis Michalik, receives two Molières.
As well as "Berlin Berlin", comedy by Patrick Haudecœur and Gérald Sibleyras, including the statuette of the best actor in the private sector for Maxime D'Aboville.
In the public, the male award went to Jacques Gamblin and not to Jacques Weber, named for the first time in his career.
He does not leave empty-handed, however, receiving an honorary Molière with great emotion, a distinction that Lætitia Casta gave him.
Named herself, she sees the reward that stretched out her arms go to another, Salomé Villiers for “Le Montespan”.
"It's not a competition", recalled, earlier, Isabelle Carré, president of the evening, quoting Jean Cocteau: "The first places are not interesting, what interests us are the places apart".
Apart, therefore, that of master of ceremonies and not of recipient for Vizorek, named in humor, a reward pocketed by Vincent Dedienne.
Absent, the comedian asked "a promising actress" to recover her prize in the person of Isabelle Huppert, herself left without a statuette for the eighth time in her career, contenting herself with her honorary Molière received in 2017 … Bredouille also Vanessa Paradis, named for her first steps on the boards in “Maman”.
Sexist and sexual violence invite themselves to the ceremony
Vincent Delerm and Henri Dés, but also the troops of the "Lion King" and the "Producers" brightened up the evening with music, while Mathilda May and her boys did it without words, like the shows she stages and for which it is recognized.
A word that circulated during this theater festival, often “the country of the real”, as Victor Hugo wrote, quoted by the minister in a short note slipped into the program.
Social facts and dramas that upset or poison so many lives, the struggles to be waged, were invited there.
So Ukraine, with intensity, diversity and parity again, with humor, but especially sexist and sexual violence, with seriousness.
"Mr. Luchini told us that #MeTooThéâtre is a concept for you", thus tackled Andréa Bescond, addressing Juliette Carré, the wife of Michel Bouquet to whom he had just paid a vibrant, sincere but long tribute, recalling that never the couple had not argued.
"I'm happy for you, but it's not a concept for one in two women who will be victims of rape, Mr. Luchini will agree, but he's gone," she added, indicating that the collective was still present in the street.
About twenty activists demonstrate in front of the room
Believing that they were censored when they had to speak on stage, around twenty activists from the #MeTooThéâtre collective, joined by actress Adèle Haenel and Paris city councilor Alice Coffin, demonstrated in front of the hall in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.
"For rapists no honor", they chanted in the closed doors.
“We had asked them ourselves to speak with a single red line, that they do not cite personal cases, they refused to modify their text”, explained a little earlier Jean-Marc Dumontet, president of the Molières.
This cause has nevertheless been present on the air on several occasions, in particular by the strong testimony of Pauline Bureau, crowned best author for "Féminines".
“I was an actress and I was sexually assaulted like, I think most actresses of my generation, she confided with emotion.
And then less and less as I gained power, she added.
Power is mainly money.
"18% of public money goes to companies run by women, that's my battle horse and I hope, Madam Minister, that it will become yours."
