This show created as a French co-production graphically evokes the grotesque world of Toulouse-Lautrec. The paradoxical atmosphere of the "golden age” of fin-de-siècle Paris comes to life as part of a visualisation that is a 21st century post-impression of Lautrec's world. The production also serves as a monument that sheds light on the nature of mortality when the soul remains immortal and the eternal human questions spanning history. The production is a kind of forced entertainment whose genre is defined as cabaret grotesque. The live musical performance will feature, among others, a noted coloratura soprano in the form of Klára Kolonits, the musical direction of Philipp György, puppets and dancers (including Krisztián Gergye himself), employing the diversity of genres that Gergye is known for. The performers portray renowned artists of decisive importance in the Montmarte art scene of the first decade of the 1900s, including Aristide Bruant, Vincent van Gogh, Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao, Chocolate, La Goulue, Valentin le Désossé, Oscar Wilde, Yvette Guilbert and naturally, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec himself.
This total art performance which, with self-ironic humour goes beyond social criticism, seeks out the most profound tragedy of the clown. Through the contrasts between entertainment and the vulnerability of the stage and between true freedom and licentiousness, we ask questions about the essence of our human nature.

The creators would like to give special thanks to the Budapest Puppet Theatre studio. They dedicate the production to choreographer and ballet mistress Ágnes Roboz.

A joint production of Müpa Budapest, the Krisztián Gergye Company and the National Dance Theatre.

Sponsored by: National Dance Theatre, National Cultural Fund, Ministry of Human Capacities

Presented by: Müpa Budapest