A WATERY STAGE

The Paris Games will kick off, in spectacular fashion, with a procession on the Seine. Gaby Wood meets the creative director orchestrating it all.

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Thomas Jolly, actor, theater director, and showman extraordinaire, is worried about fish. For the past 18 months, he has been the man in charge of delivering the opening and closing ceremonies for this summer’s Olympics and Paralympics—extravaganzas that will take the city of Paris as their stage. They will be witnessed, along just under four miles of river, by 300,000 spectators, not to mention the billions who’ll see them on TV.

It’s the most ambitious Olympic opening ceremony in history, and perhaps also the one with the greatest constraints. Jolly can’t rehearse in situ, or the closely guarded secrecy around the ceremonies would be blown. We know his plans include around 200 boats, some of which will transport a heroic procession of athletes, and that his route along the Seine, from the National History Museum to the Eiffel Tower, will recount scenes from French history.

But Jolly is not making it easy for himself: Aside from the security challenge, and the uncontrollable weather, he’s committed to preserving the environment (he has decided that two thirds of what he’s planning will take place under natural light). Most of all, he’s determined not to disturb the natural habitats of the Seine’s aquatic life. So “there will be very little construction,” he says. “We’ll use what’s already built. And it’s not bad: It’s called the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais….”