Novecento : Antoine Bonnin tells the story of Baricco's pianist at the Mathurins

Novecento, the tale by Alessandro Baricco, is to be seen at the Théâtre des Mathurins in a staging by Kelly Rolfo. Antoine Bonnin leads the company Les Retrouvés in a production slated for Thursdays at 9 p.m. from September 17 through December 17, 2026.

The story opens aboard the Virginian, a transatlantic liner plying the Atlantic. A baby is found in a shoebox there. Named Novecento, he grows up on the ship and becomes a pianist, never setting foot on land.

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The life of this musician is told by a trumpeter. The passengers, their journeys and their hopes feed his universe: migrations to America, the stark contrasts between poverty and luxury, the birth of jazz. The tale turns this confined space into a means of evoking the world that Novecento refuses to join.

This literary adaptation runs for 1h15. Regular seating costs 30 euros, while folding-seat tickets are 25 euros. A 15-euro folding-seat rate is available for those under 30.

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