Interview: French Director Maurice Attias of LOVE’S END (CLÔTURE DE L’AMOUR)

French director Maurice Attias (center with actors Ann Sonneville and Beejan Land) in residence at the Odyssey Theatre, brings a slice of French culture to L.A. with the West Coast premiere of Love’s End (Clôture de l’amour) by celebrated French playwright Pascal Rambert. Featured in the cast are Award-winning Australian actor Beejan Land, a member of France’s Theatre du Soleil who appeared on Broadway in The Kite Runner, and Ann Sonneville, recently seen locally in Last Summer at Bluefish Cove at The Fountain Theatre.

I decided to speak with Maurice Attias about how Rambert’s play was selected to be presented, how directing here differs from directing in France, and how he expects audiences to react to the play’s end-of-a-marriage portrayal.

Thanks for speaking with me, Maurice. Please tell me about your history with the Odyssey Theatre

Back to 1984, I was honored with the “Villa Médicis Hors les Murs” scholarship that enabled a four-month stay in Los Angeles and an observership with Odyssey artistic director Ron Sossi, who was directing David Mamet’s Edmond for the Olympic Arts Festival. In 1987, I returned to the Odyssey to direct a critically-acclaimed production of Hunger and Thirst by Ionesco. We’ve been working on this production for two months here in Los Angeles.

How did the opportunity for presenting Love’s End happen for you?

I was invited by Lucy Pollak to direct a new French play at the Odyssey, and I chose this great play by Pascal Rambert, which has been accepted by Beth Hogan as the producer.

Have you previously directed Love’s End in French? If so, how is it different directing it in English?

No, I never directed this play before. The language is not a problem because the translation is so faithful to the French. The real issue is to direct the actors, to impart to them the strength of the words.

How did you go about casting Ann Sonneville and Beejan Land? 

The actors were selected through regular casting calls.

I know the play is about the dissolution of a marriage. No doubt, this is a familiar occurrence to most audience members. Is the play presented chronologically so we first meet them happily in love? Or do we know it’s over from the beginning?

We know it from the beginning. From the first words. The play opens immediately with the confrontation between them. The man, feeling like a prisoner, opens fire. He can’t do it anymore. She will answer him, hitting back even harder.

Is there a person, or event, that signals the end of the marriage to them? Or is it a slow dissolution of the chemistry between them that ends it?

The couple has split and it’s war. Until now, they’ve been working together closely in the theatre and shared a common life with three children. It was a kind of paradise. He withdraws first, and cuts her loose. After that, it’s ‘hell.’ He talks and she responds, emancipating herself. Their confrontation will cover all the issues of their life together, including of course, theatre.

How dark does the story get physically or emotionally as their marriage falls apart?

It’s emotionally very dark, biting and also funny, especially when she responds.

Do you think there would be any way their marriage could be saved if the two were willing to work it?

No, it’s definitely over.

What message(s) do you hope the audience takes home with them?

There is not a special message. It’s a kind of tragedy of life.

Thanks so much – may you play to full houses, even as dark as it seems to be, because that’s the truth about so many relationships.

Performances of Love’s End take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from May 17 through June 15. Tickets range from $25 to $43. Odyssey Theatre “Wine Nights” on the first and fourth Friday of each month (May 23 and June 6 for Love’s End) feature complimentary wine and snacks after the show as well as Pay-What-You-Want admission to the performance.

The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or go to https://odysseytheatre.com/

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