La vie en rose

The Pelicot case

A pressed tablecloth, the aroma of toasted bread and fresh coffee. A morning like any other. Memory lapses becoming more frequent. Otherwise, life through rose-tinted glasses - retirement in the French countryside, grown children, grandchildren, a dog, and a contented fifty-year marriage. The fairy tale shatters when the phone rings from the local police station. And the thorny castle awakens from its slumber.

The production is based on the true story of Gisèle Pelicot, who was systematically drugged by her own husband for ten years and sexually abused by strangers. The treatment takes the form of a subversive musical that allows perspective on otherwise unimaginable events.

The story of a woman who chose to open the courtroom and her life to the public, to reject the stigma of victimhood, and to lend her voice to millions of other abused women. Even in a fairy tale about patriarchy, good and evil must be clearly distinguished. Shame must change sides.