Marius

Play in four acts and six tableaux. First performance at the Théâtre de Paris (March 9, 1929). Original edition – Paris, Fasquelle, 1931.

Main performers at the creation

Raimu – César
Pierre Fresnay – Marius
Fernand Charpin – Panisse
Orane Demazis – Fanny
Alida Rouffe – Honorine
Paul Dullac – Escartefigue
Pierre Asso – Monsieur Brun
Maupi – The chauffeur
Henri Vilbert – The agent

Summary

By dint of observing the tall ships that call at the Old Port, in front of his father César’s bar, Marius has only one obsession: to leave. This desire is so strong that it prevents him from seeing the love that Fanny, the little shellfish merchant who runs a stall on the terrace of the Bar de la Marine, has for him. It is only when one of the customers, Maître Panisse, squeezes her a little too closely that he becomes aware of it. To keep Marius, Fanny gives herself to him, but in vain. She will then make him believe that she loves another. But the sea will remain the strongest and Marius will embark on ” La Malaisie “.

Retrieved from

CÉSAR
..You don’t even know how to measure a mandarin-lemon-curaçao.
You don’t make two of the same!

MARIUS
Since customers only drink one at a time,
they can’t compare.

CÉSAR
Ah! You think so! Father Cougourde, an admirable man who drank twelve mandarins a day, do you know why he no longer comes?
He told me. Because your fanciful mixtures risked spoiling his mouth.

MARIUS
Spoil his mouth! An old pochard with a zinc beak.

CÉSAR
That’s it! Insulting the customers instead of perfecting your craft! Well, for the tenth time, I’m going to explain it to you, the picon-lemon-curaçao. (He settles behind the counter.) Come closer!
(Marius comes forward and goes to follow the operation closely. César takes a large glass, a carafe and three bottles. As he talks, he makes up the drink). First you put in a third of curaçao. Be careful: a very small third. Now, one third of lemon. Now a third of lemon. A little bit bigger. Good. Next, a GOOD third of a Picon. Look at the color. Look how pretty it is. And at the end, a BIG third of water. There you go.

MARIUS
And that’s four thirds.

CÉSAR
Exactly. I hope this time you understood.
(He takes a sip of the mixture).

MARIUS
In a glass, there are only three thirds.

CÉSAR
But, you fool, it depends on the size of the thirds!

MARIUS
No, it doesn’t depend.
Even in a watering can, you can only put three thirds.

Caesar (triumphant)
So, explain to me how I put four in this glass.

MARIUS
That’s arithmetic.

CÉSAR
Yes, when you don’t know what to say, you try to divert the conversation.