The Incredulous

The origins of this opera lie in miracles, those science-defying events: the great and the small that - no matter how tiny - can change the course of a life. What has become of these miracles, so common in the Middle Ages, in our rationalised world? Have they abandoned us, taking with them the hope that "everything can change"? Samuel Achache and his team refuse to believe that magic is dead: they are convinced that the impossible and the unimaginable can occur at any moment, even in the banality of everyday life: in the street, in a bar, in hospital, in a motel or in a railway station concourse... For a year, they collected the ordinary and extraordinary stories of Nancy residents from all walks of life. It was a journey that took them all the way to Italy, to Naples, known for being the city of miracles.

Samuel Achache is best known for his work with Jeanne Candel - notably Crocodile trompeur. We also remember Songs with Sébastien Daucé and his Concerto contre piano et orchestre created with his ensemble La Sourde. Audiences in Nancy saw a highly poetic Sans Tambour at La Manufacture after its triumph at the Avignon Festival. There's never a dull moment in a show by this iconoclastic team, who reinvent the codes of musical theatre, joyfully mixing actors, singers and musicians. Samuel Achache, Florent Hubert, Antonin-Tri Hoang and Sarah Le Picard are all accomplices in this creation that is as amusing as it is moving.

Did you miss the performance of The Incredulous in Nancy or would you like to see this opera again?

Recorded at the Festival d'Avignon 2025, The Incredulous can be watch on arte:

Watch the show online

Duration
2 h without interval

Prices
5 — 85 €

Show in French, with surtitles in French
All audiences from 11 years

Introduction to the performance
45 minutes before the start of the performance (free of charge, upon presentation of ticket). 

The performance on Sunday 22 June includes a workshop for young audiences. For more information, click here.

Are you a Pass Culture beneficiary? On June 24, enjoy a VIP evening at the single price of €10 (places are limited)! Before the performance, enjoy a welcome drink, a tour of the Opéra, a meeting with the artists in the auditorium, and an introduction to the performance. To book, click here.

Public rehearsals

On Tuesday 3 and Thursday 5 June at 6:30pm at the Opéra, rehearsals will be opened to the public and followed by an exchange with the artists.
Free on reservation
Duration : approximately 1h30

First performed at Opéra national de Nancy-Lorraine on 18 June 2025

Samuel Achache and Sarah Le Picard

en collaboration avec Margot Alexandre, Thibault Perriard et Julien Vella

Florent Hubert and Antonin-Tri Hoang

Pierre-Antoine Badaroux

Opéra national de Nancy-Lorraine

Opéra national du Rhin

Nicolas Chesneau

William Le Sage

Samuel Achache

Chloé Kobuta

Julien Vella

Pauline Kieffer

Lisa Navarro

César Godefroy

Thibault Perriard

Julien Aléonard

Jeanne Mendoche

Majdouline Zerari

René Ramos Premier

Margot Alexandre, Sarah Le Picard

Marie Lambert*

Pierre Fourcade*

Antonin-Tri Hoang

Sébastien Innocenti

Thibault Perriard

*musicians from Opéra national de Nancy-Lorraine's Orchestra