Hernani

Laurent Brethome transforms Victor Hugo’s epic work, *Hernani*, into a breathless tragedy—a frantic race toward a love that strives to blossom, yet is constantly held back by forces beyond its control.

The director preserves the essence of this popular, playful play, punctuated by constant dramatic twists. He focuses the story on four protagonists: Doña Sol, who refuses to be confined and around whom her three suitors revolve—Hernani, a young Spanish nobleman turned bandit; King Don Carlos, against whom Hernani seeks revenge; and Don Ruy Gomez de Silva, a man of honor. Set against the backdrop of a dazzling, timeless Spain, within a stage design in perpetual metamorphosis, Laurent Brethome brings this grandiose fable to life, notably thanks to the participation of fourteen amateur actors and actresses, a dynamic chorus embodying the bandits, the king’s court, or the shadows of the crypt. While preserving the writer’s revolutionary alexandrine verse, he brings an organic quality to the dialogue.