Jonathan Drillet & Marlène Saldana

Based on Paul Verhoeven's 1995 film, Showgirl is a "hip, sublime, classy chic, cheesy, artificial, vulgar, cheap and grimy techno oratorio". With music by Rebeka Warrior.

A story of sex, money and power against a backdrop of glitter, fake eyelashes and a cardboard volcano: Marlene Saldana and Jonathan Drillet's extravagant Showgirl revives Paul Verhoeven's almost eponymous film for the stage. By taking the cult story of Nomi Malone, a Las Vegas showgirl, and placing it in parallel with the life of the actress who played her and whose career came to an abrupt halt after this role. With an original, almost serial, and totally over-the-top score by Rebeka Warrior, Saldana and Drillet tell the stories of women crushed by the showbiz industry, with energetic choreography and expressionist dances. More generally, the work outlines the trajectories of all those who, dreaming of glory, have above all learned to live in a world populated by trash.

Léa Poiré