Synopsis

Mr. Puntila and his Man Matti by Bertolt Brech

Puntila and Matti, or the eternal conflict between lord and servant. For Omar Porras, staging Bertold Brecht’ play -at the crossroads between tradition and modernity- means a continuation of the research started with The Visit of the Old Lady and Don Juan.

As in Friedrich Dürrenmatt's play, we can find the fierce portrait of a sick, suffering society: Brechtien characters are not only the performers of a universe on the wane, but also they incarnate with a supreme derision the archetypes of atragic and yet funny world.

As in Tirso de Molina's adaptation, the main characters are the lord and his man: On the one hand, Don Juan and Sganarello; on the other hand, Mr. Puntila and his man Matti. Brecht explores this very much theatrical couple, founded on a hierarchical relationship always dynamic and open to any possible dialectical reversal. A couple that reminds us to Jack the Fatalist and his Master by Diderot, but mostly in debt with the Comedia dell'arte: the German playwright, who was so well-acquainted with Gozzi's work, explores with unequal joy the scenic possibilities offered by the game between master and servant.

The whole fable is built around the disturbing duality of landlord Puntila: when he is drunk, he behaves humanly, he shows himself tender and considerate towards the others, while opening both his heart and his purse; but when he is sober, he finds all the bad qualities of the capitalist, behaving hatefully and toughly to his acquaintances. On the contrary, Matti Altonen, his chauffeur, instead of favoring only his own interests, as the servants in the Comedia dell’arte, he desires to stay “a man” above all, and not to bend to his master’s cruel manifestations or to his attempts of fraternization.

Credit titles

Stage direction: Omar Porras
Stage direction assistant: Bérangère Gros
Playwright: Marco Sabbatini
Actors: Delphine Bibet, Jean-Luc Couchard, Camille Figuéréo, Louis Fortier, Stéphanie Gagneux, Pierre-Yves Le Louarn et Francisco Cabello alternatively, Fabiana Medina, Juliette Plumecocq-Mech, Emiliano Suarez
Set design: Jean-Marc Stehlé, assisted by Audrey Vuong
Music: José Luis Asaresi, Omar Porras
Choreography: Fabiana Medina
Lighting design: Omar Porras
Costume design: Maria Galvez, assisted by Brigitte Bidiville, Irène Schlatter
Masks: Bernardo Rey
Accessories: Laurent Boulanger
Painting: Christophe Ryser, Sybille Portenier
Dying: Marie-Cécile Kolly
Upholsterer: Freddy Schaller
Set construction: Jean-Marc Bassoli, Olivier Lorétan / Ateliers of Théâtre de Vidy : Michel Beuchat, Hervé Arletti, Thuy Lor Van, Bruno Dani, Stéphane Boulaz, Nicolas Widmer, Nicolas Pilet, assisted by Marie Vernay, Hélène Bessero, Florent Nicolet, Adrien Gardel.

Technical direction:Olivier Lorétan
Accessories producing: Laurent Boulanger
Stage producing: Jean-Marc Bassoli
Sound producing: Emmanuel Nappey
Lighting producing: Daniel Mome
Wardrobe: Marucha Castillo

Mentions

Production : Teatro Malandro

Coproduction: Théâtre Forum Meyrin (Geneva), Théâtre de la Ville-Paris, Théâtre de Namur (Belgium), Loire-Atlantique Cultural Centre - Nantes, Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, Théâtre du Gymnase - Marseille, Espace Malraux Scène Nationale of Chambéry and Savoie, Bonlieu - Scène nationale d'Annecy, Château-Rouge - Annemasse, Festival de Teatro de Malaga - Teatro Cervantès, Malaga (Spain).

With the support of the Ville de Genève - Department of Cultural Affairs, the République et le Canton de Genève, the Loterie Romande and Pro Helvetia, Swiss Foundation for Culture.

Edition and text managing of the play: L’Arche.
Translated by Michel Cadot.

Teatro Malandro is settled in Théatre Forum Meyrin.

Calendar

Tour

(subject to modifications)

• Switzerland - Lausanne / Théâtre Kléber-Méleau
  from 18 to 30 September 2007
• France - Annemasse / Château Rouge
  4 and 5 October 2007
• France - Chambéry / Espace Malraux
  from 9 to 11 October 2007
• France - Marseille / Théâtre du Gymnase
  from 19 to 27 October 2007
• France - Annecy / Bonlieu Scène nationale
  from 8 to 10 November 2007
• France - Caen / Théâtre de Caen
  from 14 to 16 November 2007
• France - La Rochelle / La Coursive
  21 and 22 November 2007
• France - Dunkerque / Le Bateau Feu
  29 and 30 November 2007
• France - Villefontaine / SAN Service Culture
  10 and 11 December 2007
• France - Châteauvallon / National Centre of Cultural Creation and Diffusion
  from 14 to 16 December 2007
• France - Chalon-sur-Saône / Espace des Arts
  20 and 21 December 2007
• France - Paris / Théâtre de la Ville/les Abbesses
  from 8 to 26 January 2008
• Spain – Malaga / Festival de Teatro
  5 and 6 February 2008
• France – Amiens / Maison de la culture
  To be confirmed
• France – Forbach / Le Carreau
  12 and 13 February 2008
• France – Corbeil-Essonnes / Théâtre de Corbeil-Essonnes
  16 and 17 February 2008
• France - Villejuif / Théâtre Romain Rolland
  21 and 22 February 2008
• Switzerland – Fribourg / Espace Nuithonie
  29 February and 1 March 2008
• France – Lyon / La Croix-Rousse / Scène nationale
  from 4 to 13 March 2008
• Colombie – Bogota / Festival Iberoamericano de teatro
  from 20 to 24 March 2008
• France – Vélizy / L’Onde espace culturel
  3 and 4 April 2008
• Belgique – Namur / Théâtre de Namur
  from 12 to 19 April 2008
• Belgium – Brussels / Wolubilis
  from 24 to 26 April 2008
• France – Grasse / Théâtre de Grasse
  2 and 3 May 2008
• France - Istres / Théâtre de l’Olivier
  6 and 7 May 2008
• France – Lyon / La Croix-Rousse/Scène nationale à la Maison de la Danse
  from 14 to 18 May 2008
• France – Dole / Scènes du Jura
  22 and 23 May 2008
• France – Mulhouse / La Filature
  29 and 30 May 2008

Resources

Video of the show

Press files and high definition photos

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