The Son (Zeller play)

Le Fils
Written by	Florian Zeller
Characters	Pierre Anne Sofia Nicolas
Date premiered	3 February 2018 (2018-02-03)[1]
Place premiered	Comédie des Champs-Élysées, Paris
Original language	French

The Son (French: Le Fils) is a play by Florian Zeller. It premiered in February 2018 at the Comédie des Champs-Élysées, Paris, with Yvan Attal (Pierre), Anne Consigny (Anne), Élodie Navarre (Sofia) and Rod Paradot (Nicolas).^[2] The play was produced again in September 2018, with Stéphane Freiss replacing Attal and Florence Darel replacing Consigny.^[3] The play was translated into English by Christopher Hampton and premiered in London in February 2019.^[4]

Background

The Son (Le Fils) is the final play in a trilogy which also includes The Mother (La Mère) and The Father (Le Père). The Mother premiered in 2010 at the Théâtre de Paris starring Catherine Hiegel and was produced again in 2014 at Théâtre Hébertot. The Father premiered in 2012 starring Robert Hirsch and was produced again in 2015 at the Comédie des Champs-Élysées. The Father has since been performed in over 45 countries.^[5]

Summary

Nicolas is 17 years old and lives with his mother, Anne. His father, Pierre, has just had a child with his new girlfriend, Sofia. Anne informs Pierre that their son, a depressed teenager, has not been to school for three months. Pierre then talks with Nicolas, who asks to come and live with him and Sofia. Pierre accepts, changes his high school and will do everything possible to restore his son's appetite for life.

Cast

• Pierre – Yvan Attal, followed by Stéphane Freiss
• Anne – Anne Consigny, followed by Florence Darel
• Sofia – Elodie Navarre
• Nicolas – Rod Paradot
• The doctor – Jean-Philippe Puymartin, followed by Daniel San Pedro
• The nurse – Raphaël Magnabosco

Productions

The play premiered in February 2018 at the Comédie des Champs-Élysées, Paris, with Yvan Attal (Pierre), Anne Consigny (Anne), Élodie Navarre (Sofia) and Rod Paradot (Nicolas).^[2] The play was produced again in September 2018, with Stéphane Freiss replacing Attal and Florence Darel replacing Consigny.^[3]

The play was translated into English by Christopher Hampton. It premiered in February 2019 under the direction of Michael Longhurst at the Kiln Theatre with actors John Light, Laurie Kynaston and Amanda Abbington.^[4][6] The play was then transferred to the West End to the Duke of York's Theatre.^[7] It has since been produced in many countries.

Reception

Jérôme Béglé of Le Point deemed Le Fils a masterpiece.^[8] L'Express critic Christophe Barbier praised its emotional power, writing, "To all the fathers of a son over fifteen, Florian Zeller plants a mirror in the heart."^[9]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
2018	Molière Award	Molière de la Révélation masculine	Rod Paradot	Won	[10]
		Molière du Théâtre privé	Le Fils	Nominated	[11]
		Molière de l'Auteur francophone vivant	Florian Zeller	Nominated
		Molière du Metteur en scène d'un spectacle de Théâtre privé	Ladislas Chollat	Nominated
		Molière du Comédien dans un spectacle de Théâtre privé	Yvan Attal	Nominated
		Molière de la Comédienne dans un second rôle	Elodie Navarre	Nominated
2019	Globe de Cristal Awards	Meilleur Comédien	Rod Paradot	Nominated	[12]
		Meilleure Pièce de théâtre	Le Fils	Nominated

Film adaptation

Main article: The Son (2022 film)

Florian Zeller directed a film adaptation of the play, The Son. The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 7 September 2022.^[13]

References

1. "Yvan Attal de retour avec "Le Fils", une pièce qui l'a "bouleversé"". Europe 1 (in French). 19 January 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
2. Héliot, Armelle (23 February 2018). "Le Fils de Florian Zeller : une tragédie de l'adolescence". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
3. Schwaab, Catherine (25 October 2018). "N'ayez pas peur d'aller voir ce "Fils" qui nous hante longtemps". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2022.
4. Billington, Michael (27 February 2019). "The Son review – Florian Zeller's frightening tale of teen depression". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
5. Béglé, Jérôme; Le Fol, Sébastien (3 August 2018). "Florian Zeller : "Il ne faut pas banaliser le malheur"". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2022.
6. Wild, Stephi (5 February 2019). "Photo Flash: Inside Rehearsal For THE SON at the Kiln Theatre". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
7. "Florian Zeller play The Son transfers to the West End's Duke of York's Theatre this summer". London Theatre Direct. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
8. Béglé, Jérôme (17 February 2018). "Yvan Attal et Rod Paradot bouleversants dans Le Fils". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2022.
9. Barbier, Christophe (23 February 2018). "La chute de l'ange". L'écharpe rouge (in French). Le Point. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
10. Blanchard, Sandrine (28 May 2018). "Molières 2018 : Mnouchkine, Daguerre et Pommerat sont les grands gagnants de la cérémonie". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2022.
11. Talabot, Jean (4 April 2018). "Pommerat, Mnouchkine, Hiegel... Les Molières 2018 mettent en scène des valeurs sûres". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2022.
12. "Les nominations pour Les Globes de Cristal 2019". Les Globes de Cristal (in French). Retrieved 5 September 2022.
13. "Biennale Cinema 2022 | The Son". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 5 September 2022.