Alice Zeniter’s Novel Jusque dans Nos Bras Adapted for the Stage in Switzerland

The theatrical adaptation of Alice Zeniter’s novel Jusque dans nos bras opens directly on the wedding party of its two central characters, setting aside suspense to focus instead on a celebration of friendship, resistance, and resilience. Mad and Alice, lifelong best friends whose bond faces administrative hurdles in France, stand at the center of the theatrical adaptation. The story follows Mad, born in France to Malian parents, who lacks a valid residence permit, while Alice holds French nationality and steps in to propose a marriage of convenience to prevent her close friend’s expulsion.

Authored by Alice Zeniter — who won the 2017 Goncourt des lycéens for L’art de perdre — the original novel draws on a sense of lived experience to depict the author’s sa grande histoire du racisme. Set in the France of the 2000s, the narrative traces how the duo encounters routine insults, slurs, and humiliations against a backdrop that includes Jean-Marie Le Pen in the presidential runoff, Sarkozy’s remarks, and anti-migrant laws.

Sur Un Malentendu Adapts Zeniter with Fluid Role Exchanges

The stage production is handled by the theatrical collective Sur un malentendu, which adapts Zeniter’s writing with an approach that moves fluidly through the narrative’s chronology and character distribution. On stage, a sextuor consisting of Emilie Blaser, Claire Deutsch, Cédric Djedje, Pierre-Antoine Dubey, Cédric Leproust, and Nastassja Tanner fluidly exchange the roles of Alice and Mad, upending traditional physical casting assignments.

Production Tours Switzerland and France Through May 2027

Following its run at the Théâtre la Grange de Dorigny in Lausanne, the production is scheduled for a regional tour across Switzerland and France. Stops include Château Rouge in Annemasse, the Théâtre du Jura in Delémont, Le Reflet in Vevey, Théâtre les Halles in Sierre, Nebia in Bienne, and Equilibre in Fribourg, with additional dates listed through May 2027.