Arnaud Desplechin, a well-known director and filmmaker, is preparing to stage La Musica deuxième, a play written by the French author Marguerite Duras. This will be his third project with the Comédie-Française, a prestigious French theater company. He previously directed Père by August Strindberg and Angels in America by Tony Kushner for the same company. La Musica deuxième is set in the lobby of a hotel in Évreux at the end of the day. A recently divorced man and woman meet there. He is waiting for a call from his current partner, while she is about to meet her new husband, who is arriving by car. Despite no longer loving each other, they find themselves drawn into a conversation they cannot escape. As night falls, they lose track of time, trying to rediscover themselves, possibly in search of revenge. The stage design is described as a long, narrow space "like a ribbon," where the couple continuously unrolls the memory of their lost love, according to Desplechin. The production will use physical expression and movement to convey emotion, including gestures that suggest flight or the longing for an embrace. The goal is to explore the intensity of love during this fleeting encounter. La Musica deuxième will be performed by Alexandre Pavloff as the man and Adeline d'Hermy as the woman. The set design is by Rudy Sabounghi, with costumes designed by Caroline de Vivaise and Bernadette Villard. Lighting is handled by Bertrand Couderc, and video elements are created by Gabriele Smiriglia. Sound design is by Dominique Bataille, and the choreography is by Bruno Bouché. Robin Ormond is assisting the director, and Julien Soulier is helping with the set design. The play will be performed at Vieux-Colombier, a theater within the Comédie-Française in Paris, from September 30 to November 11, 2026.