Le Balcon

To write and perform L'opéra de quat'sous is to give a voice to those who have none, to the beggars, to those whose bodies are crushed and exploited. Deleuze quotes Artaud as saying: "I write for the illiterate; that is to say, not with the intention of, but in the place of. For Kurt Weill, the role of the composer, like that of radio, is perhaps just that: to give a voice. ***Text by Bertolt Brecht and music by Kurt Weillwith the collaboration of Elisabeth Hauptmannbased on The Beggar's Opera by John GayFirst performed August 31, 1928 at Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, BerlinNew translation by Alexandre PateauRead the interview with Maxime Pascal and Alexandre Pateau. Maxime Pascal, musical directionAlternating with : Alphonse Cemin, Vincent Leterme, Delphine DussauxThomas Ostermeier, stage directorMagda Willi, Set DesignerFlorence Von Gerkan, CostumesUrs Schönebaum, Lighting DesignerJohanna Lemke, ChoreographerSébastien Dupouey, Video DesignerFlorent Derex, SoundElisa Leroy, Dramaturgy and artistic collaborationTroupe de la Comédie-FrançaiseVéronique Vella, Celia Peachum, wife of Jonathan Jeremiah PeachumElsa Lepoivre, Jenny, known as la Tripoteuse, a prostituteChristian Hecq, Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum, leader of a gang of beggarsNicolas Lormeau, Robert, dit la Découpe, Macheath's man and Smith, first police officerBenjamin Lavernhe, alternating with Stephane Varupenne, Tiger Brown (police chief)Birane Ba, Macheath, leader of a criminal gangClaïna Clavaron, Lucy, Brown's daughterMarie Oppert, Polly Peachum, daughter of Celia and Jonathan Jeremiah PeachumSefa Yeboah, Filch, one of Peachum's beggars and Saul, known as Saule-Pleureur, man of MacheathJordan Rezgui, Matthias, called Matt-la- Mitraille, man of Macheathand Nicolas Chupin, Jacob, dit Coco-la-Pince, man of MacheathLe BalconIris Zerdoud, Clarinet, alternating with Juliette Adam and Joséphine Besançon.Valentine Michaud, Antonin Pommel, alternating with Juliette Herbet and Paul Lamarque SaxophonesHenri Deléger, Matthias Champon alternating with Jérémy Lecomte, TrumpetsMathieu Adam alternating with Nicolas Desvois, Trombone, tenor hornAlphonse Cemin alternating with Vincent Leterme, Delphine Dussaux, and Véronique Briel, Piano, harmonium, celesta, synthesizerPierre Michel alternates with Francois Xavier Plancqueel and Valentin Dubois, PercussionGiani Caserotto alternating with Benjamin Garson, Guitars, banjo, balalaïka primaSimon Drappier alternating with Mathias Lopez, Double bass, electric bass, bass balalaikaPasserelles amateur choirProduced by Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and Comédie-Française.***This show will be released on CD by Alpha. Release date: September 22, 2023!