The Théâtre des Muses of Monaco offered us a costume performance by Anne de Caumont La Force featuring Anne Richard, whom we know for her role in the very famous series “Boulevard du Palais,” portraying Marie-Madeleine, the wife of King Louis XIV’s Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, whose importance has been forgotten, interpreted by Daniel Besse, who is also the director.
Indeed, we more often hear about Colbert, his contender, or Mazarin, whom he wishes to succeed. His ambitions and desire to become Prime Minister lead him to ignore his reasonable wife, who forgives his infidelities and warns him against rivalries. He fails to see that boundaries have been crossed, particularly when he begins to court the King’s young mistress, Mlle de Lavallière, for bad reasons, namely to obtain specific information about His Majesty.
Yet, he is ready to propose a pension to this young girl, he who funds the Kingdom and flaunts his fortune in front of everyone, stirring jealousy. The foresight and common sense of his second wife, a Marie-Madeleine full of strength, charm, and elegance as embodied by Anne Richard, make her a remarkable female figure of this era, worthy of being highlighted.
Indeed, the author of the play has always endeavored to emphasize the extraordinary destinies of women as an editor, author, and general secretary of the Prix Femina. The dialogue between the two protagonists depicts happiness, some reproaches, and above all, Marie-Madeleine’s fears.
For example, she aptly states: “The King will never want to feel indebted to one of his subjects.”
The climax will be the sumptuous fête at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte organized by Fouquet, surrounded by the greatest artists of the time: Lebrun, Le Nôtre, Vatel, among others, which his wife views with disapproval. Nevertheless, Louis XIV would later draw inspiration from it for Versailles.
The fate of this influential man is sealed. He falls from Olympus to nothingness, meaning several years of imprisonment, lengthy trials where his devoted wife fights with all her might to save his life. It brings to mind the recent fates of certain French politicians.
Powerful, profound theater whose themes of money, power, love, and much later downfall make this work an important contemporary page as well as the evocation of a historical drama, served by brilliant actors.
Roland Haugade
