Versailles

18th century barber-surgeons, Louis XIV’s painful fistula, courtly morning rituals, the bizarre diaper fashion of the aristocrats and the castle’s beloved orange tree garden all converge in a theatrical fantasy of the divine and profane.

Versailles is inspired by the Sun King Louis XIV’s court and it allows for the values of the elite from the beginning of the 18th century to collide with our time. In the piece co-directed by Jussi Sorjanen and Sinna Virtanen the working group mirrors their own societal pain points in the sun-kings’s golden splendor.

Versailles takes a playful approach to historical accuracy.

The play is shaped through a cooperation process between fashion designer Janette Laakso, light designer Jenni Pystynen, sound designer Tatu Nenonen and the cast at Viirus theatre. This visually lavish play is a meeting point for an imaginatively recreated costume drama and scenography clad in mirrors and gold.

Versailles is a fantasy about the Sun King’s golden afternoon
Versailles is a fantasy about pain and loneliness
Versailles is a fantasy about the poisoners’ dark mass
Versailles is a fantasy about stench and dung
Versailles is a fantasy about our obsession with gossip
Versailles is a fantasy about abundance and scarcity
Versailles is a fantasy about communities.