In 2024-2025, the venue will once again showcase great artists, especially in the areas of comedy and humor. Director of the site, Georges Bacou looks back on this common thread that has found its audience.
“The programming that has worked best since I became director”. Georges Bacou is categorical: the past season of the Jean Alary theater experienced unprecedented attendance success. Eight sold-out shows, 12% additional subscribers, 20,000 paid entries (+17% compared to the previous season)… The post-Covid reluctance seems well and truly behind us. The manager intends to repeat such an assessment during the coming season, the content of which was revealed this week: all the ingredients seem to be there for the attendance to continue.
A quick glance at this new program allows us to grasp the strength of the Carcassonne theater. For the month of October 2024 alone, its boards will be trodden by Virginie Hocq and Jonhatan Lambert, then four days later Yvan Attal and Noémie Lvovsky. The rest of the program is in keeping with this, whether it is a question of opera (Tosca by Puccini, The Trouviere by Verdi), music (Eric Serra, former composer of Luc Besson) or dance (Nutcracker). But it is in terms of pure theatre that Jean Alary stands out, with lots of laughter and big names. Yvan Le Bolloc’h and Isabelle Mergault, Régis Laspales, Noëlle Perna (aka Mado la Niçoise), Sophie Marceau and François Berléand… No more! Or rather yes, since stand-up will also be widely represented, whether it is a question of the new generation (Malik Benthala, Paul Mirabel…), or of the “boss” Anne Roumanoff.
Going “in the direction of our customers”
We will have understood: at the Jean Alary theater, we like to welcome beautiful people. A choice completely assumed by Georges Bacou. “Even great classics, which do very well elsewhere, will not attract as many people here as if there is a headliner.”. So the director uses his well-established network to please his audience, keen to go “in the sense of our customers”. With also this constant concern for quality: “The shows where there is no star actor have at least been nominated for the Molières”. All while ensuring, if possible, that no proposal is also presented on another stage within 100 km, in order to avoid any dispersion of the public.
In short, Jean Alary is giving himself the means to retain even more of his curtain-raising lovers. Once again, the theater is determined to strike a big blow… or rather even three.
