From April 4, 2025, the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet will host an ambitious and whimsical stage creation: Les Contes de Perrault, a fairytale opera composed by Félix Fourdrain to a libretto byArthur Bernède and Paul de Choudens, staged by Valérie Lesort. Lasting 2 hours 15 minutes (including intermission), this show combines theater, opera, puppets, dance and visual arts in a burlesque universe where Cinderella, Bluebeard, Morgana the Fairy, Puss in Boots and Tom Thumb should meet.
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Created in 1913, this little-performed musical will be revisited through the playful and inventive eyes of Valérie Lesort, winner of several Molières awards for her work combining visual humor and lively scenography. The musical direction of Les Contes de Perrault is provided by Dylan Corlay, accompanied by the chorus and orchestra of Les Frivolités Parisiennes, a group specializing in the light lyrical repertoire.
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In this stage version of Perrault's fairy tales, the director brings into play the symbolic power of traditional tales, playing with archetypes while injecting a contemporary touch. Each character would appear through a different scenic device: masks, puppets, elaborate costumes or video effects. The sets, costumes and visual creations seem to bear the signature of Vanessa Sannino, already Lesort's partner on several projects.
The whole musical promises to be based on a close alliance between sung narration, offbeat humor and musical rhythm, in a dynamic close to musical theater. By playing on contrasts - between cruelty and tenderness, between past and present - Les Contes de Perrault will offer a multigenerational reading of the best-known stories in the repertoire.
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Les Contes de Perrault is aimed at family audiences, but not exclusively. It could appeal to opera fans as well as to those who enjoy visual theater or fantasy worlds. Children will find in it the emblematic figures of the fairy tales, while adults can read in it a bittersweet critique of social codes and stereotypes.
It would be less suited to those seeking a linear narrative or a purely realistic dramatic form. Here, the pleasure lies in the inventiveness of the staging, the mix of genres and the immersion in a world where fantasy takes precedence over logic.
This article is based on information available before the show. It is not based on a direct vision of the show.
This page may contain AI-assisted elements, more information here.
Dates and Opening Time
From April 4, 2025 to April 17, 2025
Location
Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet
7 Rue Boudreau
75009 Paris 9
Prices
€12 - €50
Booking
www.athenee-theatre.com
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