TEHRAN-A loose adaptation of Belgian novelist Amélie Nothomb’s novel “Bluebeard” is currently on stage at Book Garden Theater in Tehran.

Arvand Dashtaray is the director of the play, which has been rendered into Persian by Vida Samei.  

Kazem Sayyahi, Setareh Pesiani, Khosro Pesiani, and Parisa Shahvalian are the main members of the cast for the play, which will remain on stage until August 21.

"Bluebeard" follows the story of Saturnine, a young woman seeking a more stable living situation after crashing on her friend’s small couch. When she discovers an enticing offer for a room in a great neighborhood at an incredibly low rent, she jumps at the opportunity. However, she soon realizes that she is not the only one interested in the room. Other potential candidates seem more fascinated by the mysterious man who has already had eight previous roommates mysteriously vanish.

Saturnine becomes the chosen one by Don Elemirio Nibal y Milcar, the enigmatic landlord, to become his ninth roommate. Described as peculiar, he speaks in a literary manner, rarely leaves his home, and, reminiscent of the infamous Bluebeard, grants her access to every part of his residence except for one forbidden room. 

As the story unfolds, the suspense thickens. Saturnine wrestles with the curiosity about the fate of the previous eight roommates and the unsettling nature of her new living arrangement. With tension rising from the very beginning, "Bluebeard" explores themes of mystery, forbidden knowledge, and the potential dangers that come with uncovering hidden truths.

"Bluebeard" is a classic French folktale. The story revolves around a wealthy man notorious for murdering his wives and details the efforts of his current wife to escape the grim fate that befell her predecessors.

Since her first novel, “Hygiene and the Assassin”, published in 1992, Amélie Nothomb has released a book annually, achieving significant literary success with translations in multiple languages. Her satirical novel “Fear and Trembling”, about corporate life in Japan, won the Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française in 1999.

SAB/