Open -air theater
A sparkling show in the heart of the Geneva summer
In Geneva and Petit-Lancy, “Alice vs barbe-blue” pays tribute to Alice Milliat, a forgotten pioneer of female sport, in a burlesque and puppeteen show from 8 years old.
The actress Joane Reymond against a background of house walls.
Marie-José Astre Demoulin
In the heart of summer, Geneva and Petit-Lancy host a show that is unlike any other: “Alice vs barbe-Bleue”, of the company Cure. On stage, only one actress, a minimalist decor which evokes a puppet theater where three irresistible puppets evolve and some wacky characters embodied by a single actress, with overflowing energy: Joane Reymond.
On August 26, 27 and 28, young and old are invited to plunge into this creation as joyful as they are fluffy, which mixes humor, burlesque and inventiveness, in tribute to Alice Milliata figure that history has long relegated to its margins.
Alone on stage, Joane Reymond occupies the space with disconcerting ease. She is in turn storyteller, clown, improvised historian, playful of play. With a simple gesture, she summons a whole universe. The decor is due in a few elements, but it is enough to take the public in a theatrical journey as alive as it is funny. The puppets, carefully designed by Romain Guez, are real characters: expressive, funny, sometimes accomplices, sometimes sassy. They seduce children and disarm adults.
The play has also thought of everything so that young spectators feel at home: covers are placed on the ground in front of the front rows, so that children can lie down, sit or dream while following the story. Result: a friendly, joyfully relaxed atmosphere, which transforms the theater into a pleasant summer vigil.
Under her air of revisited tale, “Alice vs barbe-blue” tells the story of a very real heroine: Alice Milliat. A woman with almost forgotten name, but whose determination has changed the place of women in sport. Born in 1884, this pioneer came up against a wall of prejudices. In his time, Pierre de Coubertin, founding father of the modern Olympic Games, estimated that the sports competition represented a danger to the body of women. Better yet, he and his acolyte Siegfried Edström were convinced that running literally risked … to drop their uterus!
An opinion as aberrant as an anchored that Alice Milliat has worked to reverse with tenacity. She founded the International female sports federation In 1922, organized its own female Olympic Games – with resounding success – and finally obtained the partial opening of certain athletics events to women at the Amsterdam Games in 1928. A long -term fight, with ups and downs, but which undeniably contributed to writing a decisive page of equality in sport. And yet, it will be necessary to wait … 2024 for the Olympic Games finally reaching parity between competitors.
Who was Alice Milliat?
If her name remains unknown to the general public, Alice Milliat now finds a place in the light. In 2024, on the occasion of the games, a statue was dedicated to ParisPorte de la Chapelle, within a set honoring ten exceptional women. In Alice VS Blue Barbe, Joane Reymond lends him a voice full of mind and malice, giving flesh to this tireless fighter. Here, history is not educated, quite the contrary! She is dancing, is played, confronts barbe-blue, a figure of a violent domination.
All the labor force of the Company Mine of nothing is to offer a spectacle on several levels of reading since it is accessible to children from 8 years old and that he unfolds at the same time on a deeper level for adults. The youngest laugh at puppets, burlesque situations and lively tone. The older ones savor historical winks, references to sports news, and the dialogues that recall that the path to equality is still marked by obstacles.
The rhythm, always removed, alternates between moments of light humor and more moving sequences, where Alice Milliat’s voice resonates like an invitation to never lower the guard. This show is both family entertainment and a lesson in civic engagement.
And then, attend Alice VS Barbe–Blue is also enjoying a theater that is lived outside, in a summer atmosphere. We laugh together, we exchange and discuss afterwards. This proximity, this human warmth, is also the fruit of the work of this company which has the art of creating shows on a human scale while approaching “mine of nothing” of major subjects. There are only three performances left for Alice vs barbe-Bleue: August 26 at the Emile-Dupont park, Petit-Lancy, August 27 in The Junction eco -neighborhoodGeneva and August 28 at the carpentry, the Geneva block court at 7 p.m. No booking required. Free access.
Part of the team.
Marie-José Astre Demoulin.
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