Butchery for All: Boris Vian at the Théâtre de l'Épée de Bois

The Butchery for All by Boris Vian lands at the Theatre de l’Épée de Bois, in La Cartoucherie, Paris’s 12th arrondissement, from December 10 to 20, 2026. For the first production of his company Les Détergents, Faustine Abit stages this antimilitarist farce that pits a family’s concerns against the violence of war. Eleven performances are planned for this 1 hour 10 minute show.

In Arromanches, on June 6, 1944, the Allies land and the bombardments upend daily life. A family man, a professional butcher, still pursues one priority: marrying his daughter to the German soldier she’s been seeing for four years. The wedding becomes the focal point of domestic upheaval, even as history unfolds at the doorstep of the home.

First staged in 1950, the play examines World War II through a lens of grotesque humor and absurdity. In this anarchic farce, Boris Vian twists heroic archetypes and patriotic grandstanding to interrogate the war. The flurries of activity, the squabbles, and the ceremony preparations heighten the tension between the characters’ private concerns and the upheavals surrounding them.

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To strike this contrast on stage, Faustine Abit unveils a vibrant production, fed by repurposed objects and costumes steeped in nostalgia. In her statement of intent, she links the carefree spirit gradually crushed by war to the innocence children shed as they grow up. The ostensibly childish world of the show should, as the story unfolds, reveal the external violence.

Trained at École Estienne, Sciences Po Paris, and later at Cours Florent, the stage director founded Les Détergents in 2025. Her background in artistic direction informs this visual interpretation of the text. She is accompanied here by Samuel Caram as assistant director, Diego Alorda and Lucie Luchier on musical composition, and visual artist Théo Ghiglia.

Nine actors share the roles: Joseph Cauchi, Théo Coco, Manon Habets, Paul Hayat, Roxane Lopez, Gaël Manierre, Mariia Romanova, Joséphine Vekemans and Pablo Venzal. This project lets audiences discover Boris Vian’s theatre through a war-time comedy powered by dark humor and the contradictions of its characters.

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