In 2015, Christian Hecq and Valerie Lesort took on the challenge of creating a show for actors and puppets with 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Six actors from the Troupe learned the art of puppetry in order to give life to the crew of the Nautilus and the deep-sea world around it. By turns playing characters on stage or operating puppets while hidden in its dark depths, the actors take us on board the Nautilus, the legendary vessel that is equal parts sea monster and high-tech machine. Using the principle of black light theatre, jellyfish and fish seem to float in a world where sunlight never penetrates. “On stage, a puppet enables an actor to perform movements, expressions and accelerations that his or her body is incapable of performing; it extends and multiplies physical expression. I often speak of ‘dynamo-rhythm’, about the ability to reproduce a creature’s dynamics. Here, for the fish, it’s a mixture of fast and slow movements executed in a seemingly random manner. It is a spectacle of images in which fish can provide some stiff competition for the actors!” explains Christian Hecq. All the poetry and fantasy of the work of Jules Verne are found in this round-the-world voyage across the oceans on which children of all ages are delighted to embark. After touring throughout France last season, the production returns to the stage of its first run.

Atelier de curiosités. Exposition conçue par Carole Allemand et Valérie Lesort (entrée libre)
Le hall du Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier se transforme en « Atelier de curiosités » : les plasticiennes et créatrices des marionnettes du spectacle, Carole Allemand et Valérie Lesort, y présentent la « matière » de leur travail et dévoilent les secrets de fabrication d’un univers fabuleux au service de l’illusion théâtrale.

À la télévision
Ce spectacle fera l’objet d’une diffusion sur France 2

IN ADAPTING Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for the theatre, Christian Hecq and Valérie Lesort place themselves squarely in the tradition of fantastical theatre, using ancient theatre techniques including machinery, puppets and lighting effects to represent the unrepresentable.

THE FANTASTICAL REPERTOIRE IN MACHINE THEATRE

The theatrical repertoire constantly questions the nature of our relationship to reality through the use of illusion-generating devices that enchant us with their artifice all the better to enlighten us. These devices include machines imported from Italy in the seventeenth century, as well as the use of puppets to replace flesh-and-blood actors. The art of illusion reached its golden age in the seventeenth century thanks to the development of theatrical machinery, particularly at the Hôtel du Marais theatre until 1672. Apparitions, transformations, thefts, glories and special effects fascinated the audience and were used to depict the lives of the great heroes of mythology and the gods, in a dreamlike and spectacular atmosphere. Marine scenes were popular both in the theatre and at court parties. Three actresses from Molière’s troupe appeared perched on whales during the Pleasures of the Enchanted Island in 1664, an entertainment overseen by Molière and for which he introduced Italian machines and sets. Some of the large machine plays of this period were revived the Comédie-Française after 1680, in the early days of the company.

FANTASTICAL AND SUPERNATURAL CREATURES

The fantastical bestiary is a constant of the theatrical repertoire and therefore in a certain number of plays performed at the Comédie-Française the actors play animals, but also more fantastical creatures: nymphs, satyrs, furies, Martians, monsters, trolls, fairies, elves and so on. The underwater kingdom of the Undines is the setting for Giraudoux’s play, Ondine, whose staging by Raymond Rouleau with sets and costumes by Chloé Obolensky in 1974 was particularly noted for its luxuriant aesthetics.
Beyond the evocation or representation of fantastical beings, the theatre can attain a philosophical dimension when the action is underscored by a supernatural element, as in the theatre of Shakespeare: spectra, apparitions, witches or statues coming to life, are at the heart of a metaphysical reflection on the imaginary forces that lie beyond us and determine our actions. The supernatural presence embodied by Mephistopheles in Goethe’s Faust also places the human being in the zone between life and death.
On the other hand, the comic quality of the supernatural is represented in the Repertoire through magic, as practiced by man. Real magicians, such as Alcander in Pierre Corneille’s The Comic Illusion, who uses his art to reveal truth, but also authentic charlatans, offer a means of mocking human credulity, from Molière (The Forced Marriage) to Eduardo De Filippo (The Great Magic).
The subtle balance between fantasy and rationality therefore seems to be a characteristic of this theatre, playing on both the public’s wilful collusion and its distance. The adaptation of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea challenges these traditional devices, in terms of the effects used in the staging, the representation of fantastical creatures and an overall atmosphere that floats ambiguously between real and unreal.

• Visual: Engraving from Pierre Corneille’s edition of Andromède, 1651

Adapted and directed by: Christian Hecq and Valérie Lesort
Sets and Costumes: Éric Ruf
Lights: Pascal Laajili
Sounds: Dominique Bataille
Puppets: Carole Allemand and Valérie Lesort
Assistant scenography: Delphine Sainte-Marie
Assistant costumes: Siegrid Petit-Imbert