Les enfants terribles

In her version of Les enfants terribles, director and performer Phia Ménard works with composer Philip Glass' adaptation of the novel of the same name. Ageing and degenerative diseases are the focus of this musical performance. Ménard draws a parallel between the body of an adolescent and that of an elder: both sometimes experience a feeling of isolation, of being cut off from society.

To this day, Jean Cocteau's masterpiece Les enfants terribles continues to inspire. The novel tells the story of Paul and his sister Elisabeth during the interwar period in Paris, who nauseatingly challenge each other to with games. It is a timeless tableau of adolescence, full of dreams and venom, that takes place entirely in one and the same room.

The 1950 film adaptation of the book by Jean-Pierre Melville inspired composer Phillip Glass in the 1990s to adapt the story into an opera for four voices and three pianos. The American Susan Marshall did the choreography. In her adaptation, Ménard takes the movement material further. Using a rotating scene, she gives the performance a special cadence. Text, song, dance and music intertwine at breakneck speed, while conductor Emmanuel Olivier brings out the tragic beauty and immersive character of Glass's opera.

• Phia Ménard's artistic career started with a fascination for juggling. She quickly developed into a versatile creator with a penchant for music and movement theatre. With Les enfants terribles, for the first time we invite Ménard to the Kaaitheater programme, in cooperation with Théâtre National.