“Silence everyone! I’m looking for Rue Louis Rouffe. Does anyone know where that is?” someone shouts here at the corner. We are already standing on it. This is Rue Louis Rouffe. It’s a tribute to a man who made Marseille’s pantomime scene famous.
Let’s step back to the 19th century. Imagine Marseille’s vibrant Alcazar theater. It was a hub of entertainment and spectacle. Here, Louis Rouffe, born Louis Auguste César Rouffe, shone as a mime. He was born in La Tour-d’Aigues in 1849. His parents were traveling performers. His father was a dentist.
Rouffe’s path wasn’t a straight line to the stage. He studied at Lycée Thiers. At 17, he began with comedy. Then he found his calling in mime. In 1872, the Alcazar’s director hired him. He replaced Charles Deburau. Deburau had left Marseille in 1871.
Deburau summoned Rouffe to Bordeaux. He wanted Rouffe to lead the Alcazar there. That was in the Quartier de La Bastide. Louis Rouffe worked there in 1873 and 1874. His daughter Alida was born there in March 1874. Then he returned to Marseille’s Alcazar in June 1874.
For ten years, Rouffe was a star as Pierrot. Sometimes he wore only white makeup. He also directed the troupe. He was a teacher and stage director. Horace Bertin sometimes wrote the scripts for his shows. In the summer, his troupe toured southern France. They performed from Nice to Bordeaux.
Rouffe married Joséphine Gaudefrin in Marseille in 1875. She was a clockmaker’s daughter and opera singer. This legitimized their daughter Alida who was born out of wedlock. The witnesses were Esprit Comy and Thémistocle Onofri. Comy was the Alcazar’s director. Onofri was a fellow mime artist.
In 1881, he lived at 34 rue de la République with Paula Brébion and their servant. This was despite being married for six years.
Sadly, Rouffe’s career was cut short by tuberculosis. After resting in Algiers, he performed one last time in September 1885. He passed away in his home at 34 rue Curiol in 1885. He died at three in the morning. His fellow mime, Pierre Barbarini, reported his death. A clockmaker neighbor, Claude Didier, was also there.
Over ten thousand people attended his funeral at the Cimetière Saint-Pierre. The Marseille press organized a public fundraising. They wanted to build a monument to him. The monument was designed by architect Joseph Letz. It featured a medallion by Émile Aldebert. His widow remarried in 1888. She married Pierre Chaudet, an opera singer.
Now, as you walk along Rue Louis Rouffe, remember the mime. Remember his performances and his impact on Marseille. He brought joy to thousands. His legacy lives on in this street’s name. A lasting tribute to a local legend.