Young Arthur dreams of being a knight and extracts the Excalibur sword from the rock to earn his place as King of the Celts and begin to forge his legend.
The epic to which Chrétien de Troyes contributed, inhabits the collective imagination.
But Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are not at the center of the story here, it is indeed Merlin the Enchanter who takes center stage.
Written and directed by Marie-Jo Zarb, the show relates only part of the legend, centered on the magician.
Merlin is described there as the spiritual father of Arthur, secretly in love with Viviane the fairy of the lake and as the benefactor of the kingdom of Great Britain.
The druid rubs shoulders with Morgana the terrible (played by the impressive Camille Mesnard).
He attends the idyll between Guinevere and Lancelot.
And is the witness of the rivalries between the knights: the brave Gauvain, Perceval the clumsy or the dark Méléagant.
Merlin the Celtic druid nourishes a secret love for Viviane the fairy of the lake.
Stefan Mucchielli
If internal quarrels over loyalty, fidelity and love are the common thread of the show, everything is remixed in 2021 sauce with a female character created from scratch.
A signet ring, Azenor, which clearly aims to dust off the legend.
With a lot of stylized medieval decorations and costumes, sword fights, and dancing and singing paintings, the production did not skimp on resources.
The story ends a little abruptly when all the characters embark on the quest that we know them.
A conclusion that can leave the most assiduous spectators to an end but which does not damage the magic created by the troupe.
“Merlin, the musical legend” at the Folies Bergère (Paris 9th) until January 30, 2022.
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