Thomas Jolly's Dark Vision: Starmania and Roméo et Juliette

Thomas Jolly, appointed artistic director of the 2024 Paris Olympics ceremonies, stages two productions: Starmania at Seine Musicale and Roméo et Juliette at Opéra Bastille. In Starmania, he reworks Luc Plamondon's libretto, retaining Michel Berger's hits but setting them in a futuristic Monopolis with laser effects, culminating in the deaths of Cristal and Johnny, echoing the Verona lovers. For Gounod's opera, Jolly opens with a plague-ridden world, using the Palais Garnier's grand staircase as a rotating set. The production features Benjamin Bernheim as Roméo and Elsa Dreisig as Juliette, with conductor Carlo Rizzi. Jolly's approach emphasizes a 'just reading' rather than a new one, yet delivers a tense, dark interpretation. He draws on Shakespeare's oxymorons and mirror neurons theory to create shared theatrical experience. The opera runs until July 15, 2023; Starmania resumes November 14, 2023.