Aurélien Hamard-Padis — The King Amuses Himself
Theatre . Comédie-Française (Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier)
Paris . 2020

author . Victor Hugo
stage adaptation, direction . Aurélien Hamard-Padis
set design . Chloe Bellemere
costumes . Claire Fayel
lighting . Emmanuel Ferreira
sound design . Samuel Maitre

with the actors of the Comédie-Française Academy Salomé Benchimol, Aksel Carrez, Flora Chéreau, Mickaël Pelissier, Camille Seitz, Nicolas Verdier

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“ A festive atmosphere reigns at the court of Francis I. The king is indulging in debauchery, he drinks and laughs at the jests of his hunchbacked jester, Triboulet, who encourages his excesses. No one knows that the entertainer hides a secret: a daughter named Blanche, a jewel he cherishes and keeps carefully away from the court's depravity. But a father's vigilance cannot prevent a curse from unfolding, nor stop the king from desiring the beautiful Blanche. Jealousy, conspiracies, and revenge weave together this drama, written in 1832 at the height of the Romantic movement.”