His return Satin shoe at the theater? An event like no other. More than twenty years have passed since the last creation of Paul Claudel’s piece. What would happen to him in the hands of director Eric Ruf? An ode to mysticism, a celebration of writing, a planetary odyssey? At the Comédie-Française, all these readings surface and all respect the obvious: it is the body (of the actors and the characters) that exults to the point of eliciting a standing ovation from the audience.
As he prepares to leave the trustee position he has held for eleven years in August 2025, Eric Ruf can be proud of the work he has accomplished. With this performance of exemplary clarity, he parted ways, head high, with a band whose talent he magnifies with a tribute in which ambition and humility merge. Of extraordinary duration (eight and a half hours interspersed with two breaks and a long break), Shoe imposes its sensuality on the empty aridity of the Richelieu room. A black setting in which the presence of actors superbly dressed by Christian Lacroix stands out.
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