After setting Parisian theaters on fire for three seasons, Black Legends is on tour across France. On Saturday May 30, 2026, the show will stop at the Palais Nikaïa in Nice.
The story of the project begins on the benches of the prestigious London Studio Center, where Valéry Rodriguez was studying. It was by discovering the concept of jukebox shows like Smokey Joe’s Caféthat the future director has the trigger. Seeing performers revisit classics in a soulful version inspires the young man, already marked as a child by the power of a gospel song heard on the radio, while he played the piano at the Toulouse conservatory.
Back in France, his integration into the troop of Lion King in Paris definitively sealed his desire to create. “I realized that this kind of show did not exist in our country. The project matured organically for years.”he confides.
More than 30 artists for an XXL show
After three seasons in Paris, the Black Legends troupe is touring across France with a date at the Palais Nikaïa in Nice.
Nicolas_Friess
Written and staged by Valéry Rodriguez, choreographed by Thomas Bimaï under the musical direction of Christophe Jamboisthe event brings together more than thirty artists on stage and six live musicians. The production impresses with its scale: more than 350 costumes and a hundred wigs. “There’s a show that goes on for 200 hours an hour.”résume son créateur.
On stage, the scenes follow one another tracing the evolution of black American music: from work songs chanted to the rhythm of chains and whip cracks to the heyday of jazz, including soul, disco and hip-hop.
“Racism is a cancer”
The show also spans a century of social and political struggles: segregation, racial violence, civil rights marches, the birth of urban cultures in the Bronx…
“This music tells about these fights. We can’t separate songs from their history.”insiste Valéry Rodriguez. “All these artists have experienced violence and discrimination. Racism is a cancer. This show is my way of fighting, showing the beauty of diversity.”
The public thus goes back through the decades to meet figures of Afro-American culture: James Brown, Aretha FranklinPrince or even Beyoncé. An immersion carried by an intergenerational soundtrack, composed of legendary titles like Tutti Frutti, Hit the Road Jack, A Change Is Gonna Come, What’s Going On or Crazy in Love.
De l’émotion à l’euphorie collective
Among the most striking sequences, Valéry Rodriguez cites without hesitation that built around A Change Is Gonna Come. “In a single painting, we recount all the pacifist marches towards freedom and for civil rightsâ€he describes. “This sequence is even stronger thanks to the interpretation of Barry Johnson, an American artist based in France, and Anandha Seethanen.”
Conversely, other moments plunge the audience into a festive atmosphere, notably during the disco scene where the whole room ends up dancing. “There are very contrasting emotions. People sing, stand up, react immediately”he smiles.
A tour at the pace of a marathon
Accustomed to the intimacy of Parisian theaters, the troupe had to adapt its energy to the immense stages of the Zénith. A challenge successfully met according to the director: “Finally, this format lends itself perfectly to large rooms. We manage to keep all the emotional intensity.”
With dates taking place almost every evening in the four corners of France, the artists impose iron discipline on themselves. “They prepare like athletes. Sleep, recovery, concentration: it’s extremely physical.”he concludes.
Beyond entertainment, Black Legends comes into direct resonance with current identity tensions. “It’s amazing what is happening around the world in terms of racial violence.”worries Valéry Rodriguez. A way of reminding us that this musical fresco, behind its festive energy and its classics, also tells a story of battles, the echo of which continues to resonate today.
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