Agen: at the New Théâtre du Jour, dance with the crazy ones

Victoire Berger-Perrin is adapting "Waiting for Bojangles," based on Olivier Bourdeaut's bestseller. Rue Paulin-Régnier is sold out, but Villeneuve is taking over.

Those who have waited too long for Bojangles will have to fall back on the stages of Villeneuve-sur-Lot and Montauban, because the show is sold out at the Nouveau Théâtre du Jour in Agen. This is not really a surprise since this adaptation of Olivier Bourdeaut 's book by Victoire Berger-Perrin , co-director of the NTJ, has toured more than 350 times in France and abroad since its creation at the Avignon Festival in 2017.

"Mr. Bojangles" is originally a song by Nina Simone, to which Olivier Bourdeaut's characters dance endlessly for one reason or another. "Nina Simone's song, which is absolutely sublime, is the mother's favorite song," says Victoire Berger-Perrin. "And in fact, it's the story of a family. The mother changes her first name every day because she decided that she should never be called by her real name. The father's name is Georges, but we don't know the son's first name either. It's a wacky family, whose daily life is punctuated by this song: as soon as the characters feel like celebrating or whenever they want to forget their worries, they put Nina Simone's vinyl on their old turntable and they dance."

"They live outside of any convention. They took their son out of school because the couple believes he learns much more with them, at their social gatherings. He will be much more cultured and curious. These people live in their own bubble, but they are going to experience a kind of fall; there is also a tragedy behind all this, which will not prevent them from fighting at all costs."

Victoire Berger-Perrin sought freshness, fantasy, and elegance in her production. Against a black backdrop, the costumes are in bright colors, including turquoise, fuchsia, and coral. And there's plenty of dancing, set to Nina Simone's song, as well as original compositions by Pierre-Antoine Durand. The production has been updated since the play's premiere, with actors Tania Garbarski, Charlie Dupont, and Jérémie Petrus.

As for Victoire Berger-Perrin, she is currently staging "Trésor national" by Sedef Ecer , a play which will be premiered this summer at the Avignon Festival, and which will be performed at the Ducourneau Theatre on January 27, 2026.

“Waiting for Bojangles”, Tuesday May 6 at the NTJ (full), Wednesday May 7 at 8 p.m. at the Georges-Leygues theater in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and Friday May 9 at 8:30 p.m. at the Olympe-de-Gouges theater in Montauban.