Maurice Ravel
L’enfant et les sortilèges

Only toys that have sprung to life know how to reform a naughty boy who talks back to his mother, does not want to do his homework, tears books and is cruel to animals. Magiс and miracles are awaiting the young troublemaker on his way to friendship and kindness.

It is difficult to relate the charm of Ravel’s musical fairy tale which stirs children and adults alike. Amazing miracles happen in the boy’s room: unexpectedly all the objects come to life, because they do not want to meekly put up with the boy’s bad behavior any longer. Broken toys, furniture and crockery and hurt animals do not want to be friends with him anymore. The naughty boy can but listen to their reproaches and watch them having fun without him.

The Chinese Cup and the English Teapot are fox-trotting and talking in a funny unintelligible language. The creaking clumsy Armchair and the Ottoman are slowly minueting, while the Arithmetic is moving in a jolly dance, repeating the multiplication table, and the bright Fire is shooting tongues of flame in the rhythm of jig. In the magic garden the Dragonflies are Boston waltzing and the Bats are dancing in a ring, accompanied by the Frogs’ croaking.

Ekaterina Vasilyova, stage director:

“I’ve used child fantasy as the idea for creating this production. Fantasy has no bounds, and so the objects in the boy's room begin to come alive and even talk with one another. The appearance of each character will be sudden and unique: the old ottoman will turn into a lady wearing a snazzy dress and a hat made from a pillow, the clock will come out of the wall together with a flock of cuckoos which are the animated birds from the wallpaper in the boy’s room, and the painted trees will be transformed into an enormous fairytale forest, full of miracles and mysterious sounds”.