2013
Cairn
Marthe Segrestin, « La Danse de mort en France – les métamorphoses du tragique », Études Germaniques, ID : 10670/1.x3kul4
The history of the productions of The Dance of Death in France shows not only that the play fascinated the biggest directors, from Lugné-Poe to Jacques Lassalle, via Jean Vilar and Claude Régy, but also that very different approaches have been proposed during the twentieth century, to express the tragic of the play. The analysis of the scenic space allows us to emphasize this evolution : in 1921, with the first production of Lugné-Poe, the space is confined, the small size of the stage serves to create an atmosphere of « huis clos ». The Dance of Death becomes in France the drama of the conjugal hatred : the hell of the couple is stressed by closing space on very small stages. However, we notice another interpretation of the play already in the 1920s, but mainly after 1970 : the choice of bigger stages and of an open scenic space changes completely the meaning of the play : « the huis clos » becomes less important, whereas the face to face with death comes in the forefront. In the Palais de Chaillot, Claude Régy turns in 1970 the drama of the conjugal hatred into a tragedy of the death.