One of France’s most successful theme parks, the Puy du Fou, has come of age. Defying every pessimistic prediction when it
began almost 30 years ago on an isolated site in the Vendée, with no publicity and no money, it has grown year by year. After achieving more than 800,000 visitors in 2005, Puy du Fou has proved that a journey through time, experienced at a succession of spectacular shows, can provide exceptional entertainment... without any queues.
Puy du Fou already offered exciting shows involving a Gallo-Roman stadium, a replica of the Roman coliseum, which stages chariot races and gladiatorial combats; a medieval village, sacked by a horde of Vikings; and a medieval city, whose keep is besieged by the English army. But for 2006, at a cost of £6M, it has created a Versailles-style garden with ornate paths, fountains and topiary, leading to the Grand Carrousel, a magnificent 17th century theatre. Its grand staircase, with paintings, wall lamps and imposing décor, leads to a huge auditorium with a vast red curtain measuring 950 square metres, spectacular chandeliers, and oak benches that can accommodate an audience of 3,000.
The spectators and the theatre are themselves an integral part of a new swashbuckling drama that transports visitors back to the 17th century. ‘Richelieu’s Musketeer’ owes little to Dumas and d’Artagnan, although it is true that Cardinal Richelieu had his own bodyguard, rather larger in numbers and better dressed than the King’s Musketeers, and also equipped with sword and musket. The action takes place around 1637, when Richelieu rules France and duelling is forbidden. Ayoung orphan, named Bouton d’Or (Gold Button), is provoked into a duel and sentenced to death in his absence. Bouton d’Or saves his neck by fleeing to Madrid, where he becomes a horse trainer in a theatre troupe. He falls in love with a young Spanish gypsy who dreams of becoming a famous actress. To help her to fulfil her ambition, Bouton d’Or returns with her to France, where she wins the role of Chimène in the first performance of Corneille’s Le Cid.
Bouton d’Or, pursued by Richelieu’s Musketeers, is determined nonetheless to attend the opening and disguises himself as a hunchbacked old man. The audience falls silent as the voice of
one of the most popular actors in France, Jean Rochefort, welcomes the guest of honour, Cardinal Richelieu, whose voice is that of another well- known actor, Bernard Dhéran. “Rochefort” knocks his staff three times on the stage and the actors appear.
But the play has scarcely begun when the scenery is scattered and the chandeliers appear to fall on the startled spectators. A band of mysterious swordsmen seize control of the theatre before Bouton d’Or, leaping from a balcony, takes them on single-handed. He shields Cardinal Richelieu but is too late to prevent them from abducting Chimène. Richelieu, upon discovering his identity pardons Bouton d’Or, makes him one of his Musketeers and appoints him Master of the Horse. His first task is to prepare a great fiesta that will be held on the Place Royale in Paris in honour of King Louis XIII and his Spanish bride, Queen Anne. In return, the Cardinal promises the young hero that he will save the actress he loves. The story reaches its unexpected climax on the day of the royal celebrations in a dramatic action-packed scene.
Almost no expense has been spared to create this 40-minute production as though it were a feature film, except of course that it has to be repeated up to five times every day. The six monumental chandeliers used for acrobatic stunts are mounted on electromechanical pulleys. The sword fights have been choreographed by Michel Carliez, the fencing master of French cinema. Forty-two horses were trained at the Puy du Fou riding academy to perform intricate manoeuvres in the midst of gipsy dancers. Thirty-five actors and stunt men appear on stage and wear between them 162 costumes created by Olivier Bériot, perhaps France’s most distinguished costume designer. The music is by Nick Glennie-Smith, one of America’s rising film composers, whose many successes include the Leonardo Caprio version of ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’.
Visit www.puydufou.com for more information.
From our May 2006 newsletter
