The threads of the Heart

Programming

“The threads of the Heart” is a novel, written by Carole Martinez – wich has been adapted to the stage.

It’s the story of a box. Not just any box, of course – it’s a magic box, handed down from woman to woman, from mother to daughter.
How magical the box is – its transmission is a ritual that cannot be ignored.
From inherited box, the girl is left with a gift.

And so begins the story of Frasquita – her gift is to transform fabrics: they become radiant, luminous, sparkling.

Frasquita is a seamstress – she has a very useful gift.
She leaves in this story with a husband fascinated by cockfighting – she will soon lose this husband and will stay with their children, who are as singular and strange as their mother.

“Listen, sisters!
Listen to this rumour that fills the night!
Listen… to the sound of mothers!
Sacred things are whispering in the shadows of the kitchens. At the bottom of old pots and pans, in the smells of spices, magic and recipes come together.
The silent pains of our mothers have gagged their hearts. Their complaints passed into the soups: tears of milk, blood, spicy tears, salty and sweet flavors. “ (Carole Martinez)

So here come to the stage giant, human-sized puppets and actors walking around as if they were puppets. Tons of different threads and even more fabrics of all colors: yes, the main character is a seamstress and magician, so we will see all the magic of the fabrics unfold before our eyes.

And as the story takes place in an old Spain, we will find roosters, dust, and religious processions, a wash house and old ladies on the doorstep – while Frasquita fights to love to live.

I’ve seen this show: it’s almost too impressive for small children – it’s a “young audience” show, yes, but for a young audience big enough not to be afraid.

And once they have entered the story, these young spectators, it becomes magical for us old people. They all suddenly believe in the magic of “the box”. They are amazed by the manipulations that make the loosely-packed fabrics so many wonders. They wonder if it will work, do we like to live when we have had our “heart sewn”? And what does it mean to have the “heart sewn”? That we can no longer love? That we no longer have the right to a new love? And who sewed it, this heart?

In my series: children’s shows that are worth showing, there is obviously this one.

Yes, yes, it’s in French – but it adapts very easily in fact.

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