The Box of Toys

A musical tale full of tenderness and humor

Premio Nacional de Teatro para la infancia y la juventud 2014 Ξ Premio Prestigio Turístico Nacional

From the musical works La boîte à joujoux by Claude Debussy and André Hellé, The Children’s Corner, and The Little Negro by Claude Debussy

Two siblings, after many years without seeing each other, meet in a basement that houses the treasures of their father, a musician who made his living as a toy maker. They must decide what to do with their legacy but they have different interests. Among the toys and objects, the brother remembers a story he learned from his father, a romantic love story between a ballerina doll, a wooden soldier, and a Punch puppet. The power of the objects and memories of playing with them make the siblings change their minds and choose another purpose for the basement full of toys.

This show draws on the work of La boîte à joujoux, written in 1913 by Claude Debussy, who composed the music, and André Hellé, who created the story and illustrations. This collaboration between composer and illustrator was conceived as a ballet for puppets, inspired by the world of toys. Enrique Lanz also draws on this and, for his show, he designed toys from the 1920’s and 30’s. The production explores family memories and the value of those memories and the objects that our parents and grandparents bequeath us, those little treasures that form part of our emotional genetics.

This version by Lanz and Etcétera features a pianist, a wind quintet, actors, and puppets, accompanied by a number of animated toys that take us back to childhood. It is a show full of tenderness, surprises, and humor.

A second version in small format, accompanied by piano, under the name of The Attic of Toys, premiered at the Teatro Real in October 2011, with pianist Alexis Delgado.

Artistic file:

Dramaturgy, scene design, video and staging: Enrique Lan
Lighting: Lía Alves
Assistant Director: Yanisbel Victoria Martínez
Choreography: Carina Martín
Set Construction and puppet building: Enrique Lanz, Carlos Montes, and Óscar Ruiz
Video post-production: Merlí Borrell
Costumes: Raquel Vaquero
Production: Etcétera (with the collaboration of the Junta de Andalucía).
Players
Pianist: Jorge Camacho
Actress: Yanisbel Victoria Martínez
Puppeteers: Noemí Galindo, Enrique Lanz, Leo Lanz

Show features:

Audience: All audiences from 3 years
Time: 45 min.
Languages: Spanish, english or french
Music: piano en directo
Show premiered: in December 2009 at the Teatro Fernán Gómez, Madrid.