Eonnagata

‘Eonnagata’, last year’s triumphant production from London’s Sadler’s Wells, is in Paris till the end of the week. The production brings together three of the world’s foremost creative minds: internationally acclaimed dancer Sylvie Guillem, world-renowned theatre-maker Robert Lepage and award-winning choreographer Russell Maliphant. The piece  tells the story of the Chevalier d’Éon, Charles de Beaumont – diplomat, writer, swordsman and a member of the King’s Secret, a network of spies under the control of Louis XV. De Beaumont was perhaps the first spy to use transvestitism in the furtherance of his duties and until the day he died his true gender was a source of constant speculation, even provoking public bets in the late 18th century. For this remarkable collaboration, Guillem, Lepage and Maliphant draw not only from their respective backgrounds, but also from the ancient Kabuki technique of Onnegata – in which male actors portray female roles in an extremely stylised fashion. The elaborate costumes of Louis XV’s court are by Alexander McQueen.
Until 9 Jan. Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, 15 av Montaigne, 8th. Mº Alma-Marceau. 01.49.52.50.50. www.theatrechampselysees.fr/