Paris (France) (AFP) – The general public discovered him in a grand siècle dress in a burlesque parody by Carla Bruni during the Molières: Michel Fau, great master of cross-dressing in the theater, portrays an extravagant diva on the stage of the Bouffes-Parisiens, in an exercise in total unreason, fully assumed.
Published on: 05/11/2026 - 19:34
“In tragedy as in burlesque, the artist by definition is unreason. When reasonableness begins to affect artists, it’s annoying!”, confides Michel Fau to AFP.
In "Very Chic Concert" in Paris and next year at the festivals, Michel Fau, who also directs, interprets a Castafiore at the end of her career after having shone on the biggest stages in the world.
"I like extravagant things. I see more and more shows that are a little too well done, not very surprising. I like it when it borders on bad taste," adds the 61-year-old actor who started in Roger Louret's company Les Baladins en Agenais.
In the room, tired and with shaky vibrato, the diva, in her finest, gives her last recital alongside a real tenor, Philippe Talbot, and the pianist Martin Surot who try to keep up appearances. We laugh a lot, without however making fun of this decadent singer, to whom we end up becoming attached.
“She is not fooled by the catastrophe. It is a parody of a sacred monster with all the clichés,” says Michel Fau who devotes two hours to her transformation before each performance. “What’s great about the wig, the makeup and the corset is that I don’t recognize myself, it’s like a mask,” he confides.
About fifteen years ago, Michel Fau had already taken part in the exercise in "L'Impardonnable revue" and "Récital emphatique" at the Théâtre du Rond-Point and at the Bouffes du Nord. The director Olivier Py also regularly cast him in female roles.
“Cross-dressing is very important to me. It’s part of the history of theater. Many men have played women’s roles in Shakespeare or Molière,” observes Michel Fau.
"Playing this diva also allows us to address the absurdity of this profession: why strive until the end to try to sing a note that is difficult to reach? It's a bit ridiculous...", he believes.
Moving blithely from Claudel's "Soulier de satin" to the most unbridled Boulevard, in recent years the actor has reassembled "Le Vison voyageur" and even "La Jalousie" by Guitry, which he will soon reprise for the centenary of the Théâtre de la Michodière, before a tour in 2027.
Last year, Michel Fau staged Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio" at the Versailles Opera. In January, he will stage Wagner's "Lohengrin" at the Toulouse Opera.
© 2026 AFP
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