Opera
On purge bébé !
Philippe Boesmans
Constipation is no joke!— Julie Follavoine
Just as Monsieur Follavoine is about to close a deal with the French army for his ‘unbreakable’ chamber pots, Madame Follavoine launches into a spiel about their tyrannical son Toto’s constipation. It is the beginning of a madcap day in which both chamber pots and petit bourgeois façade meet their end. Inspired by Georges Feydeau’s vaudeville, On purge bébé ! is the cheery adieu of composer Philippe Boesmans (1936-2022). An acerbic but also gloriously virtuoso end-of-year comedy for the whole family. Bonne merde!
Magazine
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OperaBassem Akiki
on conducting 'On purge bébé!'
On the eve of the world premiere of On purge bébé !, conductor Bassem Akiki explores the humour and almost Mozartian accessibility of this contemporary score by Philippe Boesmans. Enjoy a glimpse of what this delightful holiday season comedy has to offer you.
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OperaOn purge bébé !
Synopsis
An opera about unbreakable chamber pots and fragile family relationships, about straggly Scottish isles and shifty smiles, about how the greatest ambitions can end in the smallest room in the house.... Read the synopsis of On purge bébé !.
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OperaAdieu, Phiphi
Get to know the man behind the opera composer Philippe Boesmans, through the testimonies of seven colleagues, friends and artists who were close to him.
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OperaOn purge bébé !
The rehearsals begin!
“When staging a play by Feydeau, you only laugh the first three days”. Turns out that creating comedy is a serious business. A look behind the scenes of On purge bébé !, with director-librettist Richard Brunel and Mr. and Mrs. Follavoine: Jean-Sébastien Bou and Jodie Devos.
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OperaThe 8.5 operas
of Philippe Boesmans
On purge bébé ! will be opera number 8.5 for Philippe Boesmans at La Monnaie. It crowns an artistic collaboration of just under forty years. A brief overview.
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OperaPhilippe Boesmans
A documentary
In anticipation of Pinocchio, a team from La Monnaie followed the Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans for more than a year. Together, they took a look at his extraordinary career, from the very beginning in his home town, Tongeren, to the rehearsals for Pinocchio in Aix-en-Provence.
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OperaFinishing the Score of 'On purge bébé !'
Benoit Mernier
"When Philippe Boesmans suddenly fell ill, he asked me to finish composing his opera. When I went to see him in the hospital to talk to him about it, I would never have imagined that just hours later, he would be gone."
Gallery
Dates
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Tue 13 Dec 2022
Time
20:00
Venue
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Thu 15 Dec 2022
Time
20:00
Venue
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Fri 16 Dec 2022
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Sun 18 Dec 2022
Time
15:00
Venue
-
Tue 20 Dec 2022
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Fri 23 Dec 2022
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Tue 27 Dec 2022
Time
20:00
Venue
-
Thu 29 Dec 2022
Time
20:00
Venue
Cast
ConductorBASSEM AKIKI DirectorRICHARD BRUNEL
Set designETIENNE PLUSS CostumesBRUNO DE LAVENÈRE LightingLAURENT CASTAINGT DramaturgyCATHERINE AILLOUD-NICOLAS
Bastien FollavoineJEAN-SÉBASTIEN BOU Julie FollavoineJODIE DEVOS Aristide ChouillouxDENZIL DELAERE
CARLOS NATALE (16 & 23.12) Clémence ChouillouxSOPHIE PONDJICLIS Horace TruchetJÉRÔME VARNIER TotoTIBOR OCKENFELSToto (child)MARTIN DA SILVA MAGALHÃES (13, 15, 18, 20.12)
AURÉLIO GAMBOA DOS SANTOS (16, 23, 27, 29.12)
With heartfelt thanks to Sylvain Cambreling for his help
and support to Philippe Boesmans and Benoît Mernier.
La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra
ProductionLA MONNAIE CoproductionOPÉRA NATIONAL DE LYON
In co-production with Shelter Prod and Prospero MM Productions, with the support of Taxshelter.be and ING
With the support of the Belgian Federal Government's Tax Shelter
