After writing an adaptation of Andersen’s Snow Queen with Élisabeth Ventura – La Reine des neiges, l’histoire oubliée, in 2022 – Johanna Boyé is now presenting an original piece on resilience.
In a set complete with an enchanted rotating wardrobe, she reclaims the traditional elements of tales as she tells the story of Clara, a precocious child with a passion for reading who refuses to “leave” her splint and house following an accident which occurred when she was very young. Her godfather, a nimble clockmaker named Drosselmeier, gifts her a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, a human-sized automaton he built himself. Clara’s father inadvertently breaks the gift by feeding it a nut… then a coconut! The girl and the automaton, now both adorning wounded faces, run away to the land of Pirlipat, a farcical kingdom with an age-old hatred for the Mice and their leader, Madam Mouserinks. But our Nutcracker is an anti-war Nutcracker; he refuses to fight, while the audacious Clara is appointed Minister of Solutions with the duty to bring back peace. She also manages to reunite her friend and Princess Pirlipat in the land of love.
Peppered with original songs and a few dance moves, this show for the entire family is a peculiar journey through imagination, a realm in which humour bunks with strange and farcical feats. The young heroine’s adventures invite the viewers to face their fears and tend to their wounds.

NEW PRODUCTION

NEW
WED DEC 10 AT 7 P.M.
This season, the Comédie-Française offers a Relaxed Performance. This inclusive performance aims at offering a stress-free experience to viewers who may display atypical behaviours. Viewers are guaranteed a safe and comfortable atmosphere to accommodate all their sensory needs.

Le texte sera publié par L’avant-scène théâtre en décembre 2025.

Adaptation: Johanna Boyé and Élisabeth Ventura
Direction: Johanna Boyé
Scenography: Caroline Mexme
Costumes: Marion Rebmann
Lighting: Cyril Manetta
Video: Gabriele Smiriglia
Original music and sound: Mehdi Bourayou
Choreographic work: Johan Nus
Makeup and hairstyles: Julie Poulain
Assistant director: Laura Bauchet
Costume assistant: Violaine de Maupeou