Le Cyclope - Euripide

Inspired by Euripides' satyr drama, Le Cyclope revisits the famous episode of Ulysses confronted by the monstrous Polyphemus, in a theatrical form that is both archaic and resolutely contemporary. Halfway between ancient tragedy and popular farce, the show combines the origins of theater with the raw energy of the stage. In this wild land, populated by excessive creatures and primitive impulses, Ulysses' companions find themselves trapped in a world governed by the law of the strongest. Faced with the brutality of the Cyclops, a figure both terrifying and grotesque, cunning and intelligence become their only weapons. But here, danger never totally suppresses laughter: it nourishes it, distorts it, makes it more incisive. In his staging, Carlo Boso draws on the tradition of commedia dell'arte to give the myth its carnal, popular dimension. Bodies are fully engaged, masks sculpt characters, voices unfold in a physical and musical score where every gesture becomes meaningful. The grotesque rubs shoulders with poetry, and laughter emerges from the very heart of violence. Cyclops himself eludes any univocal reading: a frightening monster, but also a burlesque figure, almost childlike in his excess, he embodies a primitive, deformed humanity, revealed in all its crudeness. Through him, the boundary between civilization and barbarism wavers. The show unfolds like a total theater: music, song, rhythms, choral games and improvisations feed a lively dramaturgy, constantly addressing the audience. Far from a fixed narrative, the myth becomes a subject for play, invention and sharing. In this way, Le Cyclope doesn't just tell an ancient story: it reactivates it. It transforms the mythological tale into an immediate, sensory and jubilant stage experience, where the spectator is invited to laugh, shiver and recognize, behind the masks, an essential part of humanity. Produced by Ecole Supérieure Internationale d'Art Dramatique (ESIAD) Director: Carlo Boso Dance: Karine Gonzalez Pantomime: Elena Serra Singing : Sinda Elatri Featuring: Aurelia Allonge, Andrea Corazza, Milo Joseph, Jade Lerosey, Mihaela Mamaliga, Emanuele Mene, Camille Renard, Louison Ribes