Olympic closing ceremony changed ‘several’ times after confusion over opening event

But he admitted that the backlash to the ceremony, including death threats against Reboul, the executive director of both ceremonies, and artistic director Thomas Jolly, had made him more cautious about potential misinterpretations of Sunday’s ceremony at the Stade de France.

Asked about the death threats, Reboul said he tried not to talk about it. He said: “You have to accept it, file a complaint and show that you will not let yourself be pushed around or intimidated.

“But they made us read the entire play for the umpteenth time to make sure there was no misinterpretation, that we weren’t being forced to say things we didn’t want to say,” he said.

Drag queens

The Paris 2024 Olympic organizing committee initially apologized to Catholics and other Christian groups for a scene during the opening event that featured drag queens, a transgender model and a half-naked singer sitting on a bowl of fruit.

French bishops have expressed regret over the “excesses and provocations” in the spectacle, which they said was a “mockery of Christianity”, while Donald Trump has described it as a “disgrace”.

Only later did Jolly explain what the inspiration was.

“I think it was pretty clear. There’s Dionysus who comes to the table… why is he there? Because he’s the god of feasting, wine and the father of Seine, the goddess of the Seine,” he said.

Rumors have swirled about who will perform at the closing ceremony after the stunning performances by Celine Dion and Lady Gaga two weeks ago. A stunt segment by Tom Cruise is expected, as well as performances by Taylor Swift, who was on tour in Europe, or Beyoncé.

Reboul admitted that the section of the closing ceremony dedicated to showcasing the hosting of the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028 had been extended beyond the usual time frame.

He said, “It’s usually a 12-minute sequence to launch future Games, this one will be a little longer. Los Angeles has prepared it in its entirety, there. But we’re co-producing it with them.”

Reboul, who oversaw rehearsals at the Stade de France between 1am and 5am so they would not clash with sporting events at the national stadium, said he was delighted by the “pride, love and passion” expressed from many sides for the opening ceremony.

He said: “We can honestly say that we are proud to be French. Many people admit that they had a very defeatist attitude towards these Games, many people thought that the whole world would laugh at us on the evening of the ceremony. And that is full of love.”

Speaking to ParisianReboul did not give any hints about the script for the final show, only saying it would be “a moment of tolerance, sharing and communion, no bad pun intended.”

“But here we are in a stadium,” he said. “It’s a very Thomas universe, which is a bit like a theatre… it’s going to be wonderful. But what we did on the Seine, we can only do once.

“If everything goes well, we’ll have a great time. But I don’t know of any edition of the Olympics where the closing ceremony has changed the perception of the opening ceremony. It’s the one that triggers the whole perception of the Games.”

Guardian