La Manékine

A poor old miller gets promised wealth, if he in three years give the devil whatever is behind his mill. Believing he only gives the devil three apple trees, he takes the deal not knowing he is also giving the devil his own daughter… The french company La Pendue’s own adaptation of the brother Grimms story "The Young girl without hands".

Vuxen kvinna i hatt och glasögon håller en liten docka i röd mantel på en mörk teaterscen.

Två vuxna personer i masker och kronor står på scen; en spelar trumma och blåsinstrument, den andra håller rekvisita.

Vuxen kvinna i mörk klänning sträcker armarna uppåt och håller vita tygstycken på en teaterscen.

This performance is a part of Marionetteaterns international festival Pop Up Puppets at Kulturhuset Stadsteater in Stockholm the 20-23 of August 2026.

Tickets go on sale on 27 March.

One day, a poor old miller meets the devil. The devil promises him wealth, if he in three years give up whatever is behind the old mans mill. Believing he is only giving the devil three apple trees, he agrees without realisiing he is also giving the devil the old mans daughter. Three years later, the devil arrives once more to collect his debt. But the daughter is protected by her own purity. So the devil orders the old man to cut off the girls hands. The old man does what he says, but the girl is now protected by her own flood of tears, and flees from the devil and her father.

La Manékine is a dramatic tale about the conquest for the freedom to act and to love is played out, oscillates between two tones, the comic and the poetic, and assumes a great paradox for the puppeteer: becoming the hands for the one ”without hands” to replay eternal themes.

The performance is written and created by Estelle Charlier and Martin Kaspar Orkestar with the company La pendue, who has toured all over the world.

From age 15. Performed in french with english subtitles.