the essential
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 at the Jean Alary theater saw unprecedented attendance success. Eight sold-out shows, 12% more subscribers, 20,000 paying admissions (+17% compared to the previous season)… The post-Covid chill seems to be well and truly behind us. The manager intends to repeat such a record during the coming season, the content of which was revealed this week: all the ingredients seem to be in place for 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 Verdi), music (Eric Serra, former regular 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.
“In the sense 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: “Shows where there is no star actor have at least been nominated for Molières”. All while ensuring, if possible, that no proposal is also presented on another stage 100 km away, in order to avoid any dispersion of the public.
In short, Jean Alary is giving himself the means to build even greater loyalty among his fans of curtain raisers. Once again, the theater is determined to strike a big blow… or rather even three.
