Starmania: the difficult gestation of an extraordinary musical

In Nice on October 7 and 8, in Marseilles on October 14 and 15, in Nancy on October 21 and 22, thousands of privileged people will be able to discover the latest version of Starmania. The famous Rock Opera created by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon more than 40 years ago will then invest Paris, from November 8 to January 29, at the Seine Musicale, before a tour in the largest cities of France, Belgium and Switzerland. A huge bet for Fimalac Entertainment, especially since the costs of this blockbuster have exploded because of the Covid and then the war in Ukraine.

Originally scheduled for the end of 2020, the show has been postponed twice. “The ticket office was very strong in 2020 with 100,000 tickets sold to be reimbursed. There was a first postponement, rebelote, then a second in the spring of 2021. Reservations are at 80,000 tickets but we hope to market 120,000 to 150,000 for the Parisian stage, and 315,000 with the tour, “explain Aurélien Binder, general manager. of Fimalac Entertainment and Thierry Suc, at the head of TS3, the company which produces, among other things, grandiose shows by Mylène Farmer.

7 million euros

The bill, excluding the Seine Musicale rental contract and the cost of the set, already amounts to 7 million euros. In comparison, most of the Broadway-type “Musicals” proposed by Jean-Luc Choplin when he was in charge of the Châtelet represented a cost of 1 to 1.5 million euros, and the large musical frescoes given to the Palais des Sports/ Dome of Paris are of the order of 5 million euros.

It must be said that the producers did not restrain Thomas Jolly either, who signs the staging. The young prodigy in charge of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games sees wide as evidenced by his creations, especially for the Avignon festival. His Starmania does not skimp on robotization, video… The technical means are such that it was necessary to build a special stage which will come to rest in the various sites of the tour: “45 tons of material hung, it’s heavier What a Johnny show! “, recognizes Thierry Suc.

Casting to redo

Also involved in this extraordinary adventure are the internationally renowned Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière, to whom we owe the hundred costumes of the musical: the latter was recommended by the graphic designers M/M, who collaborated with Björk and with the Musée d’Orsay, responsible for Starmania’s visual identity.

The luxury brand of the LVMH group (also owner of the “Echos”) makes these exceptional pieces available free of charge. “If we had had to pay them, it wouldn’t have been possible,” admits Thierry Suc. Finally, the sets were made by Artefact in Avignon, which works for many opera houses and for Mylène Farmer.

Other positions have soared. “For example, we lost the 600,000 euros from our 2020 advertising campaign, and carried out a casting for nothing, the artists having had other commitments in three years. Not to mention the inflation in the price of hotel rooms one and a half times more expensive, the cost of diesel for the 19 semi-trailers needed, the lack of technicians which has pushed up their rates…”, regret the producers, fortunately backed by Fimalac Entertainment owner Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière.

Five weeks of rehearsals

In addition, the five weeks of rehearsals, still in progress, had to take place at the Palais Nikaia in Nice, which had to be rented. “It was very complicated to find an available place with the resumption of shows when we own several theaters in Paris and operate 25 Zenith-type rooms in France”, underlines Aurélien Binder.

And to add a few cold sweats, the supply of small electronic parts, these semiconductors from Asia, necessary for the operation of remote controls for sound and light consoles, and stage equipment, arrived late due to shortages. .

A team of 120 people

But the 120 people necessary for the production of this show, including 35 artists on stage, are finally ready to play, and to extend the prize list of this futuristic work, already seen by more than 6 million spectators humming essential hits: the others, SOS from an earthling in distress, When we arrive in town, The Businessman’s Blues, The world is stoned, Need for love…

Unconditional of the work, Marc Ladret de Lacharrière hopes to play sold out despite the economic context and export Starmania to Asia. “Very few French musicals have achieved this, like Notre-Dame de Paris by our friend Luc Plamondon. This challenge justifies devoting considerable resources to it”. Reaching a much younger audience would allow transmission to continue. “So that in 2045, we would have to make a new version for another generation,” he quips.