The School for Wives – Robin Renucci / La Criée – National Theatre of Marseille [2026 premiere]

Robin Renucci brings this gem of Molière’s theatre to life, revealing its profound humanity and critical spirit through contemporary staging and a cast that fully inhabits the roles. François Morel, Juliette Cahon, and François Deblock take on the lead roles, inviting the audience to listen, laugh, and gain insight into this comedy about emancipation.

Young Agnès—kept in ignorance and confined within a makeshift, impoverished, and temporary home—strives to break free from the control of her elderly husband, Arnolphe, a man convinced of male superiority. Her awakening to freedom and autonomy gives Molière’s play undeniable contemporary relevance; Renucci echoes this by highlighting the vitality of the themes and the distinct personalities of the characters—some powerful, others fragile, some honest, others cruel. Having previously adapted works such as Aristophanes’ *Peace* (with Serge Valetti), Racine’s *Phèdre*, and—most recently—Ionesco’s *The Lesson*, the director of La Criée (Marseille’s National Drama Centre since 2022) now brings out the popular appeal of this great court comedy. Beyond its comic elements, the play exposes the crude mechanisms of oppression and submission, sweeping an enthusiastic troupe along on this five-act journey in verse.