La Petite Tuk: Andersen's musical tale revisited at La Villette

In December 2025,La Grande Halle de La Villette will present La Petite Tuk, a creation by the Oh! Oui... company for young audiences aged 8 and up. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's little-known tale Le Petit Tuk, the show is written, composed, and directed by Joachim Latarjet. After La Petite Fille aux allumettes (The Little Match Girl) and Le Joueur de flûte(The Pied Piper), the company offers a new adaptation with a female perspective, combining social gravity and poetic imagination to address the realities faced by today's children. Presented over a duration of 58 minutes, this 2025 creation is part of La Villette's family program, alternating between school sessions and performances for all audiences.

The show tells the story of Tuk, a child who is confronted too early with the responsibilities of everyday life. Her mother works tirelessly to provide for them, but their combined efforts are not enough to alleviate their difficulties. Tuk, serious despite herself, takes refuge in an inner world where figures appear to help her: a musician father who has been on tour for a long time, a renowned author, a banker, and other characters from her imagination. This gallery of symbolic figures accompanies the little heroine in her quest for understanding and hope, in the manner of a journey of initiation.

Joachim Latarjet 's staging structures the whole as a musical show carried by three versatile performers: Alexandra Fleischer, Léa Sery, and Joachim Latarjet. Each performer successively embodies the different characters in the story, combining theatrical performance, singing, and music. This approach promotes fluid and dynamic storytelling, while allowing the audience to explore Tuk's emotions through scenes that alternate between dreamlike imagery, subtle humor, and social gravity. The musical composition is integrated into the dramaturgy to highlight the transitions between reality and imagination.

In revisiting this Andersen tale, the Oh! Oui... company offers a story rooted in contemporary concerns, particularly precariousness, resilience, and the power of imagination in the face of adversity. The production is aimed at both children and adults, inviting them to reflect on how stories can offer symbolic tools for understanding the world. La Petite Tuk thus enriches the cultural offering for young audiences in the 2025 season, combining theatrical poetry with attention to the experiences of its youngest spectators.

La Petite Tuk can be seen at La Villette on December 13 and 14, 2025.

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