The Thieves' Ball
Vercorin
Play by Jean Anouilh
Performed by the Edelweiss Theatre Company
Directed by Olivier Albasini
A summer in Vichy, a spa town. Lady Hurf, a wealthy aristocrat, is staying there with her two nieces, Juliette and Eva. They are young, romantic and looking for excitement.
Three petty crooks, Pierre, Hector and Gustave, pose as nobles in order to infiltrate this family and rob them during a masked ball. But things don't go as planned. Juliette falls in love with Gustave, who ends up softening and questioning his role as a thief. Love and chance disrupt the thieves' well-laid plans.
Through this play, Anouilh plays on appearances, disguise and role-playing. He combines romantic comedy and social criticism, denouncing the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie and the superficiality of human relationships. The world of theatre and masquerade becomes a reflection of a world where everyone wears a mask.
Written in 1938, this play is structured like a ballet in four scenes. Le Bal des voleurs is an elegant and biting farce, combining lightness and depth, faithful to Anouilh's style.
