Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac sharing the spotlight, vibrant colors, iconic songs… In 1967, Jacques Demy gifted the world a legendary feature film: The Young Girls of Rochefort. Since October 2, 2025, this emblematic musical has crossed from the screen to come alive on the stage of the Théâtre du Lido. But how do you adapt such a masterpiece to the musical theater? Maïlys Arbaoui-Westphal and Sophia Stern, one of the duos representing the twins Delphine and Solange Garnier, along with Gilles Rico and Joanna Goodwin, the director and choreographer respectively, reveal to us the behind-the-scenes magic of the most awaited show of the autumn.
« Beyond being intertwined, I find them complementary; they inspire each other, and that's something I love to explore in our work together »
In what way...Do you identify with your character? Do you resemble them, or on the contrary, not at all?
©Julien Benhamou
In the film, the two sisters have a really close relationship. Did you know each other before? How did you work to portray this bond on stage?
Sophia Stern We both have sisters, and right away we felt a strong connection. Each one completes the other. I fasten her dress... or Delphine often forgets her things, so I always have to bring them back to her (laughs).
Maïlys Arbaoui-Westphal We were lucky because we didn’t have a rehearsal together! It’s a gift to have a natural complicity that we continue to discover and to work on through movements, things that are suggested to us specifically to bring out that sisterhood and share it with the audience.
Beyond being intertwined, I find them complementary; they inspire each other, and that’s something I love to explore in our work together.
Did you watch Demy’s film beforehand, or did you prefer not to see it to deliver an interpretation that truly belongs to you ?
Maïlys Arbaoui-Westphal : I basically knew it by heart already, but I rewatched it even before my audition because it’s such a cult film, and for me, that’s where we have to start. I soaked it all in, but I feel now that as the rehearsals go on, my personality is taking over. And they speak so well, they have so much class, and I really learned that by watching Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac.
Sophia Stern : I did a bit of the opposite. I didn’t watch the film before the audition, but the night before the premiere, I...te;petition because I wanted to first find my character in my own way. But diving back into Jacques Demy's world just before starting this process was really relevant to see the connections, the world, those pastel colors that bring something to the character.
What is your favorite song, passage or scene ?
Sophia Stern : The fairground song, the music is incredible. But my favorite moment is the duet "Always, never" in the second act, the melodies are fantastic and there’s a realism of emotions all at once… You can see that they have really experienced something already, even though they are young, there’s a depth that is evident.
Maïlys Arbaoui-Westphal : I really love the synergy of the whole cast, when we are all there. And then the finale too, it’s a moment…
so grandiose where all of a sudden a shared energy lifts you up and you feel right at the center of it all.
©Julien Benhamou
« After all, it’s just a fairy tale about love and the universality of love»
This is one of the first shows in French at the Lido, and it’s a cult film; do you think the audience might have higher expectations? Should we expect a complete interpretation of the film or rather a modern reinvention of this work?
Gilles Rico: In France, the film is so widely known and iconic that people will inevitably have high expectations. But Jean-Luc’s [Jean-Luc Choplin - producer of the show, editor's note] rule was not to copy the film because it's impossible. You can't put on stage what you do in the cinema, so we had to recreate The Young Girls of Rochefort, recreate it beautifully.Partitions that include transitions and different intrigues to adapt everything to the world of musical comedy. The Lido is an incredibly immersive theater, and the idea was to create something popular, that includes the audience and brings the same joy as the film. After all, it’s just a fairy tale about love and the universality of love. And it’s so relevant today! What struck me while reading the script was how strong these women are. We’re in a patriarchal society of the 1960s where marriage is the norm and where a woman is either an obedient wife or mother. But these characters do what they want. They are independent, and they do everything to achieve their dreams. It’s very modern in a way.
There’s a very particular color palette in Demy’s film. Is that an element you’ve kept in the show?
Gilles Rico : Yes, because the colors in the film are essential, they're not just decorative elements. It's something symbolic, that shows emotions, the journey of a character. The color notes evolve throughout the story. When we see purple, we know Solange is about to arrive, but when it’s yellow, it’s going to be Delphine. Everything is very structured, it’s fascinating. Regarding the costumes, we stayed true to the 1960s aesthetic as a tribute to the film and that era. Modernity lies in the bodies, in the way people behave, interact, in the rhythm. In a way, we emphasized joy and softened the melancholy that is constantly present in Demy’s film, to make it suitable for a musical theater adaptation.
©Julien Benhamou
« We really want the audience to feel like they know every character on stage by the end of the show »
A lot of scenes in the film take place outdoors, how do you approach the space when adapting such a story for the stage of a theater ?
Gilles Rico : It’s interesting because it questions the way we can transpose an outdoor shot into a theater, which is a closed space without sunlight. We tried to achieve this by using theatrical tools and the language of musical theater. We play with the codes, we want it to be human, for sincerity to be conveyed when the artists are on stage.
Joanna Goodwin : You can feel each person's personality through the way they move. We really want the audience to feel like they know each character on stage by the end of the show. We've been sharpening every little detail, thinking about how each scene could be. For instance, we added two tap dance numbers that aren’t in the film !
There’s acting, dancing, singing… What are the biggest challenges for you in this show ?
Gilles Rico : Joanna and I have prepared a lot. We quickly found common ground, a shared language, the same wavelength. It’s incredibly valuable because we are trying to create something unique. To do this, we need to gather the energies of the creative team as well as the artists, and we’re lucky to have an exceptional cast made up of extremely dedicated people.
Patrice [Patrice Peyriéras - music director, editor's note] created an arrangement for 14 musicians entirely by ear. There is no published score for the film, so everything had to be recreated. But what’s amazing about him is that whenever I mention there’s not enough music for a scene or that a transition would be nice, he disappears, composes, harmonizes, and rearranges the passages. An hour later, we have a new score!
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©Julien Benhamou
In your opinion, why is it absolutely necessary to come see The Ladies of Rochefort at the Lido ?
Gilles Rico : Because the audience is going to experience that joy we all need in these troubled times. It’s totally intergenerational, we tried to create a show that’s diverse enough to include everyone.
Joanna Goodwin : Entertainment is essential ! There’s something for everyone : if you love opera, you’ll adore it; if you love musicals, you’ll adore it; if you love classical dance, you’ll adore it...
Maïlys Arbaoui-Westphal : It’s a style of musical comedy and music that brings everyone together. This show is good for the soul!
ig;ur, it’s so inspiring both in the joy it conveys and in the personalities of the characters. There’s poetry, it’s romantic, sometimes a little melancholic, it’s a beautiful palette of emotions to receive. And it’s such a wonderful part of French cultural heritage that it’s just great to see it live.Some statements have been translated from English by Lucie Guerra
Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
Théâtre du Lido
116, avenue des Champs-Élysées — 8e
Starting October 2, 2025
More info
