Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP 17:07 p.m., April 24, 2023, modified at 17:08 p.m., April 24, 2023

The 34th edition of the Nuit des Molières takes place this Monday evening at the Théâtre de Paris, with actor Alexis Michalik as master of ceremonies. This new edition could be dominated by the Comédie-Française on the public theatre side. In parallel, the CGT Spectacle calls for a "welcoming committee" to be reserved for the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak.

The Night of Molières will try Monday night to offer itself a more dynamic image, with the magician of the stage Alexis Michalik at the helm of the awards ceremony of the theater in France. The 34th edition could be dominated by the Comédie-Française on the public theatre side, with three of its members vying for the Molière for best actor (Denis Podalydès, Laurent Stocker and Christian Hecq). On the private side, nuggets created off Avignon last summer are in pole position.

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A "form of demand" against the pension reform

The evening that will take place at the Théâtre de Paris could take a "form of demand", against the pension reform, with the CGT Spectacle calling to reserve a "welcoming committee" to the minister Rima Abdul Malak. The ceremony will be broadcast on France 3 from 21:15, it rarely exceeds one million viewers, critics often calling it long, disjointed and a little old-fashioned.

This year, the format is two hours and Alexis Michalik says to AFP wants to "bring rhythm and a troop spirit to the evening". The playwright, director and director had collected in recent years many Molières thanks to his successful plays. Four of them are still being played simultaneously in Paris. In recent days, he has shared on Instagram trailers where he plays with his team of comedians the card of self-mockery on the difficulties of bringing the ceremony up to date. "We could invite Brad Pitt," offers one of the actresses, a nod to the surprise appearance of the Hollywood star at the César in February.

Nominations that "reward inventiveness rather than budget"

"This year, I will organize the wedding and I will try to make people happy," Michalik told AFP. He welcomed the fact that this year's nominations "reward inventiveness rather than budget". There is certainly the new version of the rock opera Starmania (two nominations), which triumphs thanks to its flamboyance since its premiere in November. But "'Starmania' triumphed above all thanks to the genius and inventiveness" of Thomas Jolly's director, who will also be at the helm for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, says Alexis Michalik.

Many pieces with a modest budget and created outside Avignon - the largest live performance market in France - in 2022 received many nominations, such as Glenn, naissance d'un prodige (6 nominations), on pianist Glenn Gould, Je ne cours pas, je vole (5), Oublie-moi (4) on Alzheimer's disease or Les Poupées persanes (4), a drama set in the midst of the Iranian Revolution.

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Note three plays by the director Johanna Boyé who accumulates seven nominations. "I think there is a real trend today to encourage this format and this inventiveness to have long farms," says Alexis Michalik.

Low diffusion of shows in France

The Court of Auditors had been concerned in 2022 about the low diffusion of shows across the France and the difficulty of increasing the number of performances. Molière's house dominates the public theatre with 11 nominations for five productions. Podalydès (King Lear), Stocker (The Miser) or Hecq (The Bourgeois Gentleman) could win the Molière for best actor.

Two other members of the Frenchman, Benjamin Lavernhe (Ibsen's The Lady of the Sea) and Christophe Montenez (King Lear) are nominated for the supporting role. Resident Marina Hands (King Lear) was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Frozen, l'histoire oubliée, a show for young audiences created for the Frenchman, garnered two nominations. Still in the audience, Isabelle Huppert is nominated for the ninth time as best actress in the audience, opposite Isabelle Carré, Sara Giraudeau and Catherine Hiegel. Florence Foresti, Laura Felpin, Manu Payet or Stéphane Guillon could be rewarded in the humor category.