21/07/2026 - Martin Darondeau and Bertrand Usclat deliver a fun and spirited comedy set in the behind-the-scenes chaos of a theatre show

"Stepping in for someone just three hours ahead of a premiere, in front of an audience of 900 people, is any actor’s nightmare, don’t you think?" It’s into the tumult of a maelstrom of catastrophic events, exacerbated by the pressure of the countdown to curtain call and the stress that’s inherent to all theatre shows, that the directorial duo composed of Martin Darondeau - Bertrand Usclat, and the exuberant troupe of Comédie-Française actors who’ve been gathered together for the occasion, have thrown themselves with gusto and great humour. Rewarded with four trophies (including the Special Jury Prize and the Audience Award) at the Alpe d'Huez Comedy Film Festival, and selected as the opening film at the Unifrance Film Meetings in Paris at the beginning of the year, the often very funny Comédie-Française is due for release in French cinemas on 22 July, courtesy of Zinc and Warner Bros.

"There’ll be magic this evening." During this her first attempt at directing a play (Macbeth) in the famous Parisian cultural centre’s emblematic Salle Richelieu, Nina (Pauline Clément), who’s ordinarily an actress at the Comédie-Française, is experiencing her own helping of cold sweats. She’ll spend the entire home stretch bailing out a ship which is taking in water on all sides, managing as best she can – armed with the Coué method and endless amounts of agitated diplomacy and edge-of-abyss stoicism – to resolve the many technical and human problems which inevitably arise. With a lead actor stuck at the other end of the country (as a result of secretly accepting a lucrative part in a TV series), the egos, sensibilities and fastidiousness of the other actors to negotiate while helping them all to move forwards together, last minute technical adjustments to make with no shortage of unpleasant surprises in store, complications from her private life interfering with work, and, last but not least, pressure from up high (the culture minister has announced she’ll be attending the show, and cancelling the performance would cost 25,000 euros), the wings are bubbling over, despite three months spent rehearsing, and they urgently need to adapt…

Fully respecting the rules of classical theatre with unity of time, place and action, the film advances at full throttle (to the tune of Clément Ducol’s music), making perfect use of physical resources (the stage, the wings, the dressing rooms, the foyer, etc.) to supercharge the story. Conveying the atmosphere of the profession (traditions-superstitions, such as actors not wearing green or not saying the name of the play, Italian run-throughs, stage fright, etc.) and the general mechanics behind it all (lights, smoke, sets, etc.), while zigzagging between drama and vaudeville, Comédie-Française is often incredibly funny. Affectionately focusing on archetypal characters who are all brilliantly portrayed (by Laurent Stocker, Julien Frison, Marina Hands, Adeline D’Hermy, Danièle Lebrun, Christian Hecq and Sefa Yeboah), the feature film delivers on its promise, entertaining unpretentiously and revealing the reality behind the scenes by comically zooming in on and distorting the truth, while preserving consistency between the text and its resonance. With Molière’s ghost guiding the way, the troupe’s solidarity prevails despite indignities and, as an usher proclaims: "long live theatre!"

Comédie-Française was produced by Atelier de Production, in co-production with Comédie-Française and France 2 Cinéma. Charades are steering world sales.

(Translated from French)