AI set to revive French playwright centuries after sudden death on stage

A new AI-generated comedy explores what might have happened if Molière had not died at the age of 51

(Getty Images)

What might 17th-century French playwright Molière have penned next, had he not tragically collapsed on stage while acting in on of his own plays.

This tantalising question has finally been addressed thanks to a unique collaboration between French scholars, artists, and an artificial intelligence firm.

Their research has culminated in L'Astrologue ou les Faux Presages (The Astrologer or the False Omens), a new comedy premiering next year at the Palace of Versailles.

Molière, real name Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, is an iconic figure in France, to the extent that French is sometimes called "the language of Molière."

Molière is said to have fallen in love with the theatre when he was a teenager and largely focused his work on comedies, farces, and comédie-ballets. He also worked as an actor, a director and also managed a troupe, which gained the patronage of King Louis XIV in 1658.

Such was his dedication to his craft that Molière died on stage of exhaustion at 51, while performing the lead role in The Imaginary Invalid in February 1673.

His satirical wit and social commentary left devotees wondering about his next target. "Let's try to recreate a bit of Moliere's creative process using the current state of AI," explained Hugo Caselles-Dupre, a researcher involved in the project.

Jean Baptiste Moliere (1622 - 1673) the French playwright and actor, circa 1650 (Getty Images)

Backed by French AI firm Mistral AI, the "Moliere Ex Machina" project identified astrologers as a likely subject.

Mickael Bouffard, the play's director, noted: "One of the subjects he addressed, but subtly woven into several of his other works, is astrology."

The plot sees Geronte, a gullible bourgeois, fall prey to a fraudulent astrologer scheming to marry his daughter to a deceitful wigmaker, despite her love for another.

Crucially, the AI model was not left unchecked. Scholars and researchers meticulously refined the production, correcting historical inaccuracies and other details.

This collaborative effort not only brought a new Molière-esque work to life but also offered profound insights into his genius.

Bouffard concluded: "I have learned things about Moliere that I had missed because they're so scattered throughout his work."

Molière's plays are still performed frequently around the world, and his company eventually became a founding component of the Comédie-Française, France's state theatre, which is sometimes referred to as the "House of Molière."