Summer Evening Entertainment in the Loire Valley
Written: Mar 02 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: High quality unique entertainment
Cons: You will need to speak to understand some of the productions
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| YentaKvetch's Full Review: Loire Valley |
If you plan a trip to the Loire Valley in summer, you will soon be exhausted from schlepping around to the many châteaux that dot the landscape. Take it easy on some days; take a nap during the day, and be prepared to do some of your schlepping in the evening when entertainment, ranging from sound and light shows, to plays and music, are available in spectacular surroundings.
Son et Lumière Shows
A La Court du Roy François at the Château d'Amboise
If you have time for only one of these performances, this is the one I'd choose. This is not a traditional sound and light show, although many innovative lighting techniques are used. This is a spectacle with a cast of 450 people, most of whom live in Amboise. The people rehearse all year to give the summer tourists pleasure each Wednesday and Saturday night. The actors are all volunteers. In fact, the only person who does get paid is the individual in charge of the complicated lighting and special effects.
The entertainment is based on the life of François I, and the court which once inhabited the Château d' Amboise. It is in French, but English translation sheets are available. The show is a favorite tour bus destination, but that should not put you off. You can almost always get a ticket. Please remember that seating is first come-first served, but you will get your money's worth even if you are the last one through the château gate.
After the show you can mingle with the townspeople/actors and admire the costumes. The children who participate were especially endearing. The night I went, there was a costumed toddler who stole the whole show. In one scene, rose petals were spread in the king's path. The toddler decided she wanted to pick them all up -- to the great amusement of the audience.
Wednesday and Saturday at 10:30pm in June and July, and 10:00pm in August. For tickets, telephone: 02-47-57-70-38, or the Amboise Office de Tourisme: 02-47-57-09-28.
Au Temps des Dames de Chenonceau at the Château de Chenonceau
This is a traditional sound and light show. The spectators enter the gardens at Chenonceau and position themselves in the garden along the wall next to the cher facing the château The show is on tape, and various parts of the château are illuminated as the story of its association with various women, including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medicis, unfolds.
Daily at 10:15pm in summer. For information call: 02-47-23-90-07. There is no need to buy tickets in advance; simply arrive a few minutes before the performance.
Les Imaginaires d'Azay-le-Rideau at the Château of Azay-le Rideau
For this sound and light show -- at what many regard as the most beautiful of the châteaux -- there is no set performance in the traditional sense. This is a walk through the grounds of the château at night. While you walk, there are special lighting, sound and musical effects.
Daily during the season, starting at 10:30pm in June and July, 10:00pm in August, and 9:30pm in September. The walk is self-paced and generally takes about 45 minutes to an hour. For information and prices, check with the château: 02-47-45-42-02, or the Office de Tourisme: 02-47-45-44-40.
Other Performances:
In addition to son et lumière, some of the châteaux host plays or musical performances. Some of these are held at less well known, but, nevertheless, interesting châteaux.
Les Rencontres Imaginaires at the Abbaye de Fontevraud. This performance, which I saw on a rainy night, made the walls of the old abbey come to life. Fontevraud has historical connections with the English Plantagenets and the coffins, but not the bones, alas, of Henry II and Richard I (Coeur de Lion of Robin Hood fame), as well as Eleanor of Acquitaine and the wife of bad King John (of Magna Carta fame), can all be found in the abbaye. Eleanor, you may recall, was married to the French King Louis VII before she married English Henry II.
Le Petit Théâtre de Madame B.... by a group called La Machine à Rêver. I saw this performance at the Château de la Bourdaisaire, a smaller château located just east of Tours. The château does have guided tour and is used mostly as a hotel. The performance was in one of the out buildings.
This play was a sort of "precieuses ridicules" entertainment, featuring very fast paced French and lots of gossip about various love entanglements of the actors. There was some audience participation. The audience was designedly very small and the atmosphere was one of a salon in the 18th century.
If La Machine à Rêver is in the Loire when you are there, and your French can stand the work out, I would recommend a performance. The acting is superb.
Musique et Jardins at the Château de Villandry. I attended an evening performance which began at 9:00pm. Music was presented on a variety of ancient instruments, including one called "le serpent" which looked like -- you guessed it -- a snake. The gardens were illuminated during the intermission and I even helped myself to some free vegetables left out for the taking -- including a white eggplant (something I had never seen before). The surroundings made the evening a memorable one.
Tips if You Go
The first thing you should do in the Loire -- or, indeed, in any region of France -- is to make a beeline for the Office de Tourisme and ask for a brochure for the region. The brochure in the Loire that lists all the museums, chateaux, special events and performances, is called Visites et Decouvertes. There is a calendar of events by date. Without this brochure, I would not have known what the choices were each day. It is indispensible!
Please remember that for some of the theatrical performances, a good degree of fluency in French is necessary. If you do not speak French, stick to traditional son et lumière shows and/or musical performances, and you should not have a problem. It also helps to bone up on some of the history in advance of your visit.
The performance at Fontevraud was not listed in the Loire brochure, as Fontevraud is in the Maine et Loire Departement and not the Val du Loire. Maine et Loire is just to the west of the Val du Loire Departement. I found out about the performance after visiting the abbey during the day, and, being a fan of Eleanor of Aquitaine, decided to stay for it.
One thing I missed that I am determined to see the next time I am in the Loire in August, is the Marche Rabelais in Chinon. This fair is held the first weekend in August and features a parade of Gargantua type figures as well as a gourmet meal. I heard about it from other American tourists, who raved about the entire experience.
Recommended:
Yes
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YentaKvetch
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Member: Lauren Kahn
Location: McLean, Virginia
Reviews written: 71
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