Ensemble Artifices
The Seven-League Boots

Once upon a time, there was a very famous fairy tale: the story of Tom Thumb! It has hundreds of versions and dozens of interpretations. Why, you might ask, would we want to create yet another variation?

At the end of the version by Charles Perrault, Tom Thumb’s story intersects with another: the tale of the postal service, mail, postillions, stagecoaches and adventurers! Because Perrault added that Tom Thumb became the king’s messenger! And one who was highly valued for his speed and for the services he rendered to the king, the court and the ladies. It is at this moment that our story begins: The Seven-League Boots, or The New Adventures of Tom Thumb the Messenger.

The Seven-League Boots is, first and foremost, a “musical tale” that has been re-written for the stage, with a theatrical narrative portrayed by an actor and two traveling musicians.

The Seven-League Boots leads us into the exciting world of 18^th-century messengers, in a blend of the fabulous fairy tale and a Romanesque historical context.