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3 good reasons to see I Hope Our Children Will Do Better Than Us at the Pépinière Theater

undefined undefined 27 octobre 2026 undefined 15h00

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The Editor

© Alejandro Guerrero

What if a DNA test could tell you what your baby will become? Rudy Milstein turned it into a comedy that's as hilarious as it is delightful, playing at Pépinière Théâtre. Here's why you need to rush and see it.

After the massive success of It's Not Easy Being Happy When You're Feeling Down, Rudy Milstein had a lot to live up to. And the 2024 Molière Award delivers : with his new play, he tackles motherhood, the desire for children, and that very modern anxiety about wanting to control everything, right down to your baby's DNA. The result ? A comedy that makes you laugh nervously and laugh out loud in equal measure, carried by a talented cast in top form. Here's why we recommend it wholeheartedly.


1. Because we love dark humor

The premise is already a little gem of dark comedy : Marie finds herself in the maternity ward with her best friend Anne, who's just given birth too—to her third child, which arrived by accident. To stack the odds in her favor, Marie had her newborn take a revolutionary genetic test supposed to predict his health risks. The results are bad… So she quietly swaps her baby with

that of Anne. From there, everything spirals delightfully out of control : parental neuroses, couples experimenting with open relationships, frankly monstrous parents… 


2. For the shocking casting

Headlining, Anne Marivin, iconic face of French cinema since Welcome to the Sticks, absolutely irresistible as an overwhelmed mother. Opposite her, Ariane Mourier, a regular at La Pépinière, as a mother willing to do anything to have the perfect child,ng> and Nicolas Lumbreras, Rudy Milstein's faithful and ever-formidable accomplice. Erwan Térénené and Maeva Pinto Lopes, stunning as a nurse, round out the cast, all punctuated live by a clarinet. A big hand for these explosive actors! 


3. Because it puts things in perspective

Behind the bursts of laughter, the play holds up a mirror—not always flattering—to our obsession with control, the perfect baby, and optimized parenting. Cruel yet terribly true to our times, it feels like a little collective therapy session : you leave thinking that our neuroses aren't so serious after all… and that our kids will do just fine, DNA test or not. 

In short, between a bold pitch, a top-notch cast and zingy one-liners, I Hope Our Kids Do Better Than Us ticks every box for the kind of comedy you want to recommend to all your friends (especially those who just had a baby). Fair warning, the show often plays to a packed house: don't delay booking your tickets.

I Hope Our Kids Do Better Than Us, by Rudy Milstein
La Pépinière Théâtre
7 rue Louis-Le-Grand – 2nd arrondissement
From €43 to €51
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