Bluebeard I Barbablù

Show & Culture

Barbablù (II. Paura e dopo) explores the contemporary relevance of the Bluebeard myth through the lens of fear and violence against women. Freely inspired by Perrault's tale, contemporary texts, and films such as Méliès's, this multidisciplinary performance blends theater, opera, and visual arts in an immersive form of total art. Structured in a prologue, three acts, and an epilogue, it traces the protagonist's journey from infatuation to disillusionment and then to numbing anxiety, while examining voyeurism, individual responsibility, and collective inaction. Opera excerpts, sound creations, and visual and olfactory environments gradually transform the performance space into an oppressive closed world where singing and then screams erase all rational words. Far from victimizing the woman or redeeming the monster, the show ends with a reversal of power dynamics culminating in the protagonist’s empowerment.