France’s hit musical Molière is coming to Shanghai for the first time. This award-winning production brings the legendary playwright’s life to the stage with a mix of rap, urban music, and modern dance—because nothing says 17th-century France like a sick beat. Expect high-energy performances, stunning visuals, and a fresh take on a theatre icon.

Molière: A Legendary Name in Theatre History

Molière is an indispensable part of French culture and a resounding name in the history of world theatre. Recognized as the most important writer of 17th-century French classicist literature, he pioneered classical comedy, and his works hold a significant place in European theatre history.

Portrait of Molière

Born as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in 1622 in Paris, Molière came from a family of royal household furnishers—his father was a tapestry merchant. Instead of following in his father’s footsteps, his passion for theatre led him to dedicate his life to drama and the stage. His masterpieces, including The Imaginary Invalid, Tartuffe, and The Miser, vividly depict various figures of the time and offer profound reflections on issues such as wealth, marriage, inheritance, and class relations. These works earned an unprecedented historical status in French comedy and enduring artistic value. Molière’s greatest achievement was establishing serious comedy as a literary genre, elevating French comedy to the literary canon for the first time since the Middle Ages, ensuring its lasting influence.

To mark the 400th anniversary of Molière’s birth, a brand-new French musical celebrating the playwright’s life was grandly released. A year later, in November 2023, it premiered in Paris. The production creatively integrates rap, urban music, and modern street dance, bringing Molière’s life story vividly to the stage in a groundbreaking format.

The musical Molière was written and composed by Dove Attia, the creator of renowned French musicals such as Mozart, l’Opéra Rock and Le Roi Soleil. Featuring a top-tier French creative team, the show is not only highly entertaining but also serves as a modern tribute to France’s cultural heritage.

Dove Attia and director Ladislas Chollat

Since its premiere, the musical has toured across France with over 160 sold-out performances, attracting more than 500,000 spectators. It won seven awards at the 2024 French Musical Theatre Awards, including Best Musical, and was nominated for Best Musical at the prestigious 2024 Molière Theatre Awards. It has undoubtedly become a sensational new hit in the French musical theatre scene.

The Molière cast at the 2024 French Musical Theatre Awards

Synopsis

In 1642, 20-year-old Jean-Baptiste Poquelin chose his passion for theatre over the wealth and status of being a royal interior decorator. Together with the woman he loved, he founded a theatre troupe. However, the path to success was long and arduous—he paid a heavy price for artistic freedom, facing hypocrisy and hostility from many adversaries. Nevertheless, he emerged as a bold and uninhibited playwright who revolutionized theatre. In 1673, while performing The Imaginary Invalid in Paris, he collapsed on stage due to illness. With his passing, the life of this great French playwright came to an end.

This September, Molière will be performed in China for the first time, offering Chinese audiences an immersive journey back to 17th-century France and ushering in a new wave of Sino-French cultural exchange.

• Stage & Dance