Clément Althaus brings his landmark rock opera to Théâtre Anthéa in Antibes, a decade after its original premiere.
In a post-apocalyptic vision of Ancient Greece, the timeless clash between order and chaos explodes into life with electric guitars and operatic voices. Celebrated French composer and playwright Clément Althaus returns to the mythological battlefield with a reimagined version of Agôn, his genre-defying opera rock which opens at anthéa Théâtre d’Antibes from 23 to 26 April 2025.
The question remains as ancient as it is urgent: which will prevail, order or chaos?
Divine Rivalry in Hyperborea
The narrative unfolds in Hyperborea, the mystical land of abundance, where Apollo, master of order and harmony, traditionally retreats for his winter quarters. This distant realm is renowned for its gentle climate and superior inhabitants. His brother Dionysus, the embodiment of chaos and intoxication, traditionally oversees Delphi. But this year, Apollo won’t yield the stage.
And as may be expected when two gods are supposed to share one territory, it can only end in competition.
What begins as a divine disagreement escalates into a full-scale showdown, orchestrated by Zeus and judged by Artemis and the Bacchante. Under Zeus’s curious and amused gaze, this spectacular confrontation ensues between the divine brothers.
The term “agôn”, derived from the Greek verb “ágô” (ἄγω, to lead), encapsulates the essence of total confrontation: physical, intellectual, artistic, and athletic. This concept perfectly sets the stage: Races, duels, verbal combat, displays of musical virtuosity – everything is permitted in this divine combat where ancient and modern times collide in a musical fireworks display. Make way for the Agôn!
The Clash of Apollonian Precision and Dionysian Abandon
At its core, Agôn explores the opposing forces personified by Apollo and Dionysus. Reason, clarity, and harmony confront intoxication, excess, and chaos. In Althaus’s hands, this philosophical tension becomes a visceral, musical experience that engages both the intellect and the senses.
Set against a ravaged futuristic landscape, the opera stages this mythic struggle not as an academic exercise, but as something deeply human. The divine conflict resonates with our own inner battles — between logic and emotion, structure and freedom, control and surrender. The post-apocalyptic setting adds urgency to this ancient conflict, suggesting that these archetypal tensions continue to define our contemporary existence.
A Decade in the Making
This staging marks a key anniversary for Althaus’s company START 361°, revisiting the work that first drew widespread attention. Originally commissioned in 2015 by Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur, Agôn now returns in a renewed form, more urgent and more relevant than ever.
The Antibes revival also reflects the ongoing creative partnership between Althaus and anthéa, which has supported his work since 2019. Their collaboration has already produced several notable productions, including Bateleur, Jean de La Fontaine (created for the 400th anniversary of the fabulist), Baudelaire, prince des huées, and Après Barbe Bleue.
A Formidable Creative Force
The 2025 revival of Agôn reunites Althaus with his brother and co-director Adrian Althaus, along with a cast of accomplished performers. Benoît Berrou, Jérémie Boumendil, Claudia Musso, Oriane Pons, and Clément Althaus himself bring layered interpretations to their roles as gods, mortals, and arbiters of fate. All of these performers have established careers in both music and theatre, lending even more weight to the opera’s metaphysical turns. Together, the ensemble conjures a world that is stylised yet emotionally charged, abstract yet grounded in the stakes of visceral human experience.
START 361°: A Laboratory of Modern Myth
Clément Althaus’s signature style blends classical mythology, philosophical inquiry, and contemporary musical forms. This approach has been the hallmark of START 361° since its inception. Between 2012 and 2018, the company collaborated with the Opéra de Nice on a trilogy of original works: Narcisse (2013), Agôn (2015), and Diogène (2018), all written and composed entirely by Althaus. Each blends philosophy, narrative, and music into immersive theatrical experiences that speak across time.
Althaus composes and writes each piece entirely himself, fusing rock idioms with operatic textures to forge a bold and accessible musical language. His goal is not simply to retell old stories, but to reframe them in a way that speaks to modern audiences without simplifying their intricacy.
START 361° has become a fixture in France’s contemporary theatre landscape. Its productions examine timeless themes – identity, desire, power, morality – through a rigorously crafted yet emotionally direct lens.
The Eternal Battle Recast
As Anthéa transforms into a contemporary sanctuary of myth and sound, audiences are invited not just to witness a story, but to enter a ritual. In Agôn, mythology is no museum relic, but a living current running through how we think, feel, choose, and live. And that is also representative of Anthéa’s programming, which so often is a mirror of social responsibility.
What Althaus offers is not escapism. It is an encounter with ourselves through the prism of gods. The production refracts the chaos of today’s world through an ancient lens and demands that we choose, again and again, how to reconcile freedom with structure, instinct with reason.
When the chords strike and the battle begins, it is no longer about Apollo or Dionysus. It is about us.
Anthéa Théâtre d’Antibes
260, avenue Jules Grec
06600 Antibes
Phone: +33 (0)4 83 76 13 13
Email contact@anthea-antibes.fr
All photos courtesy anthéa and Clément Althaus
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