Theater - "PAIN NOIR"

CULTURE - “PAIN NOIR,” based on Victor Hugo’s “Claude Gueux.” Contemporary theater and puppetry.

*Pain noir* is an intense, contemporary exploration of the world of *Claude Gueux*, a work by Victor Hugo that, as early as the 19th century, denounced social deprivation and injustice. Set in a strange world that could belong to either the past or the future, this (almost) one-man show blends theater, original music, and puppetry. On stage, a man named Claude Gueux is imprisoned in Clairvaux for five years. His crime? Stealing to ensure his wife and son could eat for three days. Loved and respected by his fellow inmates, he is, alas, harassed by Mr. Delacelle, the warden. Harassed to the point of madness, to the point of no return. *Pain noir* tells a story of imprisonment and hunger, but also of dignity and rebellion. The 1834 text resonates particularly strongly today, and—without ever taking a definitive stance—it simply prompts us to question our relationship to justice and incarceration.