Paris on the Seine side with Francis Huster
The destiny of Francis Huster has always been inseparable from the theatre. He made a spectacular appearance on December 8, 1947, when his mother, Suzette, having lost her water near the Comédie-Française, was escorted by police motorcyclists to the maternity ward. He spent his first eighteen years between the 1st, 2nd and 9th arrondissements of Paris, in the family apartment at 19 rue Monsigny.
When he meets Henri Rollan, his upstairs neighbor, this famous member of the Frenchman predicts that he will be “the next Gérard Philipe”. To get to the school in rue de Louvois, where Patrick Dewaere also goes to school, he took Passage Choiseul. “The bookseller provides me with books, especially Shakespeare. It is thanks to him that my passion for the theater was revealed.” In the dark rooms of the neighboring Grands Boulevards, he forged his love of cinema with Mémé Rose, his maternal grandmother. As he passes almost every day in front of the Bouffes-Parisiens theatre, he sees there, among other celebrities, Jean Poiret, Jacques Charon, Jean Marais, Michel Bouquet, Annie Girardot, Jean Gabin…
He also met Colette and Jean Cocteau in the gardens of the Palais-Royal, right next to the Comédie-Française, “Maison de Molière”, where he entered in 1971 to become the 463rd member in 1977 and resigned in 1981.
Square Louvois, his first playground
Iconic comedian and actor, interpreter of the greatest classics, Francis Huster has also been able to diversify his register, in cinema and on television. On the poster for the TV movie “Murders on the Frioul Islands” (on France 3), it will also appear in the credits of Claude Lelouch’s next film. He has played Molière all over the world and has been fighting for a long time for the entry of the great man into the Pantheon. On the occasion of the four hundred years of his baptism on January 15, 2022, the actor has just offered him two books: “Molière’s Love Dictionary” (ed. Plon) and “Poquelin against Molière, a duel to the death” (ed; Armand Colin). “As if his plays had been written yesterday, Molière continues to touch us, make us laugh, surprise us and enlighten us!”
Career and fame did not take the unforgettable performer of Musset’s Lorenzaccio away from his childhood neighborhood. Depending on the time of day, you can come across him near the Folies-Bergère, at Folie’s Café, or eating couscous at La Boule Rouge, and of course at the cult Café de la Paix.
“I met the greatest directors and directors there… and I still love having brunch there under the glass roof with my two daughters, Elisa and Toscane. This has always been my place and it will remain so all my life!”
Next door, be sure to visit the magnificent Palais Garnier, the Paris Opera, enthroned on the eponymous avenue which runs towards the Louvre and its pyramid, “where I shot ‘Les Uns et les Autres’ by Claude Lelouch”. Rue Marivaux, brush up on your classics by going to the Librairie Théâtrale, before going to rue Molière, in front of the fountain dedicated to the author of Tartuffe to grasp Francis’ indignation. “Why place his statue in a shabby end of street! It is at the Comédie-Française, in his house, that she should be!”
Then go green, Square Louvois, playground of his childhood. It is also here that Stefan Zweig and Jules Romains met to discuss the adaptation of “Volpone”, which Francis Huster created at the Frenchman years later.
Italian late night
Finally reach the Domaine national du Palais-Royal, nerve center, “where the essential moments of my existence took place”. At the Comédie-Française, you attend one of the performances of the Molière season. In the gardens of the Palais-Royal, after a break in front of the columns of Buren, you discover two shops adored by Francis Huster. A veritable paradise of medals, the Maison Bacqueville will surprise you with its multitude of insignia, decorations, civil and military cockades. At the Drapeaux de France, you will enter “my Ali Baba’s cave where I bought many toy soldiers, Molière’s lucky figurines…”.
Don’t forget to admire, at Place Colette, Le Kiosque des Noctambules, a magical metro entrance and work of art by visual artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. Continue your tour of the Grand Dukes with a play at the Bouffes-Parisiens!
End the evening at Villa Dondelli, one of Francis’ favorite addresses, which you can trust when it comes to Italy. “I’m crazy about it! I’ve always thought that, without the Italian Renaissance, we wouldn’t suppose we had our classical theater, nor Molière, who adored Scaramouche and translated Lucretius. In Italy, there reigns such elegance, such caress to live… It’s no coincidence that one of my daughters is called Toscane…”
The Paris of Francis Huster
To visit :
-Palace garnish Opera Square. Phone. 01-71-25-24-23; www.operadeparis.fr Free visit: €14.
– The Molière fountain 28, rue Moliere.
– Place Louvois 69 bis, rue Richelieu.
– The French Comedy 1 place Colette. Phone. 0-825-10-16-80; www.comedie-francaise.fr
– The Kiosk of Nighthawks Place Colette.
– Theater of the Bouffes-Parisiens 4, rue Monsigny. Phone. 01-86-47-72-43; www.bouffesparisiens.com
Where to eat/drink:
– Folie’s Cafe 16, rue Geoffroy Marie. Phone. 01-48-24-04-91; www.foliescafe.fr
– The Red Ball 1, rue de la Boule Rouge. Phone. 01-47-70-43-90; www.restaurant-laboulerouge.fr Formula: 25€.
– Cafe of peace 5, place of the Opera. Phone. 01-40-07-36-36; www.cafedelapaix.fr Dish from €25.
– Café Ragueneau 202, rue Saint-Honoré. Phone. 01-42-60-29-20; www.caferagueneau.com Dish from €15.50.
-Villa Dondelli 1-3-5 rue Monsigny. Phone. 01-42-96-16-61; www.villa-dondelli.fr Pizzas from €10.50.
To please yourself :
– Boutique of the Comédie-Française Place Colette. https://boutique-comedie-francaise.fr/
– Theatrical Library 3, rue Marivaux. https://www.librairie-theatrale.com/
– Bacqueville House 6-7-8, Montpensier gallery – Palais-Royal garden. www.bacqueville-medailles.com
– The Flags of France Place Colette. www.lesdrapeauxdefrance.com
– Delamain Bookstore 155, rue Saint Honoré. www.librairie-delamain.com