Theater: Donkey Skin gets a makeover

At the start of the season, the Croix-Rousse Theatre saw the version of Snow White rewritten by Marie Dilasser and directed by Michel Raskine. The tale was brought up to date. Marie Dilasser focused more on the character of the prince (played by Marief Guittier when the show was first performed), the life of the princely couple, their daily lives, and even the environmental issues that are so pressing today.

We can expect a similar approach for Donkey Skin , another ancient tale by Charles Perrault, of which Marie Dilasser offers a new reading entitled Donkey Skin, The Party is Over.

To do away with the sentimental morality of old-fashioned tales, princesses passively waiting for Prince Charming, mushy dreams and muscular stereotypes!

Marie Dilasser, for the text, and Hélène Soulié for the direction, seize the famous tale and make it in one bite. They point to the incestuous relationship between the father and his daughter. They weave a new story where the mother does not die but leaves the marital home, where the father is a predator who hides his game well, the donkey with the gold coins is a stuffed animal that serves as a piggy bank, and the fairy is a benevolent neighbor. Nothing ethereal here, but a panoply of colorful characters in a queer and wacky atmosphere, slices of laughter and joyful thrills.

We're a long way from the rather cheesy filmed version of Jacques Demy's film with Catherine Deneuve in the title role!

Donkey Skin – The Party’s Over – May 24 and 25 at TNG