French Clown Theatre The Beautiful Sheets: When the Body Becomes Language, Every Woman Sees Herself
Presented by the French company La Tache, The Beautiful Sheets will make its debut at the 7th Liangshan Theater Festival in 2025, with performances on Friday, November 14 at 19:30 and Saturday, November 15 at 15:00 at Xichang Tingtaogu·No.19 Theater.
The Beautiful Sheets uses the innocence of clowning as its vessel and women’s lived experience as its core, unfolding a profound dialogue on “the self.”
With no elaborate set and no complex lines, the piece allows every audience member to see traces of themselves—or of the women in their lives—within a 60-minute journey.
Breaking the Stereotype of “Clown = Comedy” to Reveal the Multidimensional Lives of Women
When we think of a clown, we often imagine red noses, oversized shoes, and exaggerated humor. But the clown in The Beautiful Sheets overturns this stereotype entirely. There is no heavy makeup, no flamboyant costume—only a performer in simple clothing who uses every inch of her body to tell the most intimate stories of womanhood.
At the beginning, she curls up quietly in a corner, fingers brushing the floor with the curiosity of a newborn exploring the world.
Suddenly, she rises and spins, her skirt lifting and falling—an embodiment of adolescence, tinged with shyness and curiosity toward a changing body.
When she cups her belly and her body trembles slightly, the audience instantly recognizes the confusion of a first menstruation.
And later, as she slowly bends her back and shuffles forward, the weight of aging settles gently onto everyone’s shoulders.
Without a single spoken word, she presents the full arc of a woman’s life—
from the naïveté of early bodily awareness,
to the gravity of pregnancy and childbirth,
to the grief of miscarriage,
to the peace of accepting age.
As she says in one of the play’s few spoken lines:
“The cultural roots of Cambodia give my performance its raw and pungent soul.”
The work does not shy away from the “messiness” of growing up female, nor does it withhold tenderness.
A lighthearted bounce dissolves the awkwardness of bodily changes.
A gentle touch soothes the wounds of loss.
Creator Maly Chhum: 18 Years of Exploration, Letting Clowning Become a Language of Self-Expression
The soul of the performance is its creator and performer Maly Chhum, an artist who has transformed clowning from a personal passion into her artistic lifeblood.
Her theater journey began with a rebellious act in high school.
Against her mother’s wishes, she secretly signed up for an elective drama class—setting herself on a path she would never leave.
During her studies at Université Paris 3 – Sorbonne Nouvelle, she encountered clowning for the first time and was struck by its directness:
“I suddenly realized that the body can transmit emotions language cannot reach. A glance, a breath—these can make the audience feel exactly what I feel.”
Over the next 18 years, she continued her artistic exploration:
In 2010, she performed in Luca Giacomoni’s Oedipus Rex, discovering the complexity of human nature within a mythic narrative.
In 2012, she joined the production of Medea, delving into the edges of female anger and vulnerability—an experience that revealed the extraordinary power of the female body as a storytelling medium, planting the first seeds of The Beautiful Sheets.
“After 18 years, I can finally say that clowning is not my ‘profession’—it is my language of self-expression.”
— Maly Chhum
Every turn, every pause on stage is not an “act” but a sincere conversation—with herself and with her audience.
Just as she invites the audience to witness the “evolution of the body,” she invites each person to reconcile with their own life.
If you are…
A woman seeking to understand your own growth more deeply;
Someone wanting to share a wordless, emotional experience with family—especially with your mother or daughter;
A lover of avant-garde theater who wants to explore the unique power of physical storytelling—
The Beautiful Sheets will offer you the gentlest reminder:
Within every woman’s body lies countless possibilities for growth.
And embracing oneself is the most precious gift of life.