Favart has never witnessed such alternation which is a hallmark of its history and defines the musical genre represented by the Opéra Comique. The gildings and mosaics are being restored. The marbles and walls of the Salle Bizet are treated with a mixture of latex and additive in order to remove the ravages of time. In short, every effort is made with impressive meticulousness.
In other areas, the drilling, breaking, concreting or shaping with diligence could be compared to what’s going on in Salle Bizet though with gestures, sounds and scope which show that the different trades on the site are governed by two different paces and approaches. Precise restoration and structural work exhibit another way of alternating what is sung and what is spoken. In other words, while beauty and grace are on the menu of the renovation, masonry work is the main course. The compressors that will supply the whole opera house with cool air will pass through the roof and the gentle breeze will go through the floorings which will need to be lowered. The roof is ripped open and the floors are attacked with jackhammers. The roof is being rearranged and its lofts reorganized in order for the costume workshop to occupy several floors beneath the attic.
So there are two construction sites for a single work. We marvel at what is sung but we remember the work as a whole. And what would be a story without dialogue? Brush and shovel united for a common goal: making Favart ever more beautiful.
