I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 212 Rehearsal and the bewildered Balzac
To put it simply, given the prestigious status of theater during this period, the theater world was undoubtedly more hierarchical. For example, the Comédie-Française, the oldest and most prestigious national theater in France, was considered the "temple of French theater" and was committed to preserving the French theatrical tradition.

Therefore, this theater basically only performs classical plays and has extremely high requirements for actors, who usually need to go through a rigorous selection process or be well-known actors themselves.

Slightly below is the Paris Opera, one of the largest opera houses in Europe, renowned for staging lavish operas and ballets. And when it comes to ballets, one cannot help but mention the timeless masterpiece, Swan Lake.

Frankly speaking, if Mikhail had enough time and energy to bring this ballet to Europe, it might have caused a sensation throughout the continent. However, such a ballet undoubtedly requires highly professional actors and teams, and it's simply not feasible to put it on the table in a short time. Therefore, Mikhail has had to temporarily shelve the plan and prepare to overcome the next hurdle before considering whether to bring it out again.

If we further subdivide the Paris Opera, there are some that specialize in operettas with dialogue, some that stage melodramas and romantic dramas with grand scenes and intricate plots, and others that feature lighthearted and entertaining popular comedies and operettas.

Theaters like these don't have the same high standards as the Comédie-Française. They have a need for well-known actors, but they also provide opportunities for new playwrights. The Théâtre Montmartre is one such theater.

As for why Mikhail didn't simply move the play to the prestigious Comédie-Française, it's simply too difficult. He was an outsider, and the local Parisian gangs were incredibly rude, so Mikhail really didn't want to put in the extra effort.

After all, Mikhail had put in a lot of effort just to get the script approved, and if he wanted to perform the play in such a theater, he would probably face even more scrutiny and criticism.

In short, Mikhail was quite satisfied with the current situation. After Mikhail resubmitted the script with only a sentence or two changes, the notification allowing the performance came down in just two days.

At this point, Mikhail brought out the team he had gradually assembled, including a stage manager, some well-known and less well-known but reasonably capable actors, costume designers, prop masters, and lighting technicians.
To be honest, it is quite difficult for a stranger to find so many reliable people. Fortunately, Mikhail is both rich and has some connections. For example, he sought help from Alexandre Dumas in this regard.

Although Alexandre Dumas was extremely stingy with his creditors throughout his life, he was absolutely perfect in his treatment of his friends and even strangers. In terms of benevolence and righteousness, it is hard to find anyone more benevolent and righteous than Dumas in all of Paris.

For example, after Dumas made a fortune with "The Count of Monte Cristo" and other novels, he built the Monte Cristo Castle. Dumas set a rule that any writer or painter who was in financial difficulty could come and stay there.

As a result, the Castle of Monte Cristo was home to a large number of parasites, some of whom Dumas didn't even know. Just entertaining these people cost hundreds of thousands of francs every year, but guess what? Dumas didn't care at all!

Then his castle bankrupted him.
It was precisely because of this personality that when Mikhail asked Alexandre Dumas for help, Dumas, who had a great liking for Mikhail, immediately waved his hand and said, "Since you've already asked, what else is there to say? I'll give you all my connections, reliable actors, and tips for rehearsing plays!"

Mikhail could only express his feelings about this, and then prepared to show some righteousness to Dumas when he fell on hard times.

With such help, Mikhail quickly assembled a team, and even had backup options for the lead actress. If Marie Antoinette proved unable to handle the role or endure the hardship, Mikhail would certainly make other plans.

Fortunately, Mary seemed to have been truly ignited with a passion for life by the script. She actually turned down all other offers and focused all her energy on rehearsals. Thanks to the compatibility of her temperament and her years of experience watching plays, her performance was quite convincing and seemed to be getting better and better.

Mikhail was undoubtedly pleased with her behavior. The only downside was that she seemed to want to sit alone with him for some reason. Or rather, it wasn't just her; since the salon that day, more than one noblewoman had expressed a similar sentiment to Mikhail.

Since some people did help Mikhail, he could only solemnly declare that he needed to focus on rehearsing the play first, and that many other things would have to wait until after the play was performed.

Of course, Mikhail planned to head straight to England after finishing his performance.
However, Mikhail was not lying about rehearsing plays. Generally speaking, no matter how great a script is, if the actors don't perform well or something goes wrong elsewhere, it is very likely to face the risk of a failed performance.

Therefore, even though Mikhail hired a lot of professionals to help him solve some problems, he still had to strictly control every aspect based on his memory to achieve the best performance results.

While Mikhail was busy rehearsing his play, the aftershocks of some events had not yet completely dissipated. For example, the news in the newspapers undoubtedly had a good publicity effect on Mikhail's play, and at least a considerable number of audience members were aroused.

Once Mikhail confirms the performance time, there will be another round of promotion, which will directly awaken this part of the audience's memory.

Of course, such publicity is not entirely a good thing, as some newspapers eventually ended up in the hands of Fernando, the theater manager of the Comédie-Française.

As the manager of the French theater, Fernando's position is certainly not simple, and he is undoubtedly not young anymore. His slightly graying beard and hair, serious expression, and aura make him seem to be able to decide the life or death of any play.

For a true big shot in the theater world like him, a newcomer's play is nothing and not worth his attention. However, some things have caused a huge uproar, so even he has to frown and read the news in the newspaper.

A drama featuring prostitutes as the main characters, and it even passed censorship?

More importantly, the articles in the newspapers praised the script to the skies and even criticized the theater industry for its rigid and outdated aesthetics.

Is this appropriate?

As a hallowed hall of French drama, Fernando certainly didn't intend to personally step in and refute anything; otherwise, wouldn't that be giving too much credit to the Russian who wrote that inexplicable script?

However, after thinking about it carefully for a while, Fernando finally called his assistant over and pointed to the article in the newspaper, asking, "When will this play premiere?"

"It hasn't been officially announced yet, but it should be within the next two months."

The assistant, after a moment's thought, replied.

"You should keep an eye out for news about this; our theater will be launching a new play soon, so..."

Fernando casually pressed a finger on the newspaper, as if he could easily crush something, and then continued: "Let this new play premiere on the same day as this inexplicable play. Although we really don't need to pay attention to such attention-seekers, we should never forget the sacred purpose of our theater, which is to defend our French theatrical tradition."

To prevent this kind of thing from becoming rampant in the Parisian theater scene, let it fail completely.

"I remember."

As Fernando casually made this arrangement, not far outside Paris, a rather luxurious carriage was carrying four people towards Paris.

The combination of these four people seems rather strange at first glance: a young couple who are quite close, a dignified and elegant older lady, and a man who is trying his best to talk to the lady and make her happy.

The man was short and somewhat overweight, but at first glance he seemed to have inexhaustible enthusiasm and strength, and his unique and passionate speech and temperament undoubtedly revealed some of his unique charm.

As for who he is, he is none other than Honoré de Balzac, who has a series of titles such as "rich woman lover," "investment genius," "entrepreneurial expert," and "great collector."

Around this spring, Balzac finally received a message from Madame Hanska, the wealthy woman he had been courting for so long, saying that she was willing to see him, but only if he was accompanied by his son-in-law and daughter.

Upon receiving this news, Balzac, who had no desire to continue, immediately shoved the manuscript into a drawer. He then completely ignored the thousands of readers who were waiting for him to write the sequel, the editors who had already prepaid him, and finally left his mother to fight with his creditors.

He himself went straight to Mrs. Hanska with a certain desire for a certain life.

After traveling with the three men to other parts of Europe for several months, Balzac naturally did not forget to take them to Paris. So, on this particular day, Balzac and his entourage entered Paris.

While the group was still in the carriage, Balzac had already boasted: "I know Paris better than anyone, and I will be an excellent guide. You can ask me anything you don't understand."

To be honest, Balzac was not very happy about returning to Paris. After all, once he came back, all sorts of troubles and worries would come knocking at his door, disturbing his peace.

If there's any good news, it's that the trip went relatively smoothly. Although Mrs. Hanska hasn't fully decided to marry him yet, she seems willing to stay with him. All he needs to do now is increase that possibility.

Just as Balzac was thinking this, the carriage stopped, and as the group began their enthusiastic tour of Paris, Madame Hanska suddenly seemed to have spotted something interesting. She pointed slightly to a passerby and then asked Balzac:
"What style of clothes is that person wearing? Is this the latest fashion in Paris?"

"Oh? It should be."

Balzac, who knew Paris intimately, was about to give an answer, but when his gaze fell on the passerby, his eyes froze.

What is this thing? Do they have things like this in Paris?

Although he couldn't recognize it at all, the prideful Balzac still vaguely replied, "It should be the latest improved model."

"Oh, that's how it is. It looks pretty good."

Without giving it much thought, Mrs. Hanska nodded and continued walking forward.

Balzac, however, felt uneasy because he saw some unfamiliar things, and the best way to learn about the latest news in Paris was undoubtedly to buy a newspaper from the street.

After purchasing this item, Balzac soon saw the following news:

"It seems that the great Mr. Mikhail had these words engraved on his walking stick: I will destroy all obstacles!"

Upon seeing this, Balzac was left with the question: "???"

What great Mr. Mikhail is this in Paris? I've never heard of him.

And those were all my words that he carved!

Just when Balzac felt his luck had been snatched away, the next line of the news brought him a slight sigh of relief: "It is said that he was paying tribute to Mr. Balzac."

It seems this person is aware of copyright, but who exactly is he?

As he pondered, Balzac finally remembered the name Mikhail. Could it be that Russian writer? Had he really achieved something in France?
Thinking of this, Balzac hurriedly bought several more newspapers and started flipping through them. As he looked, Balzac suddenly raised his head and looked around somewhat blankly.
Have I really returned to Paris? Is it truly Paris I've returned to?

I've only been gone a few months, and yet someone has already left their mark on Paris in that short time?!
Just as Balzac was feeling a bit confused, Madame Hanska seemed to have caught a glimpse of something in the newspaper. As she read out the phrase "When you are old" with some curiosity, Balzac, as if waking from a dream, quickly put away the newspaper and then swiftly and cleverly changed the subject.

What would happen if she saw such a poem?

And that young Russian man, instead of striving to make a name for himself, actually wants to take a shortcut by writing something like this?!
Balzac detested this kind of behavior the most.
(End of this chapter)