The start of the season promises to be particularly lively on Brussels’ stages, with a new season offering a mix of great classics, daring new productions, and stories waiting to be discovered. From reimagined Shakespeare to comedies that elicit nervous laughter, the capital’s theaters have put together a lineup with something for everyone. Some plays transport us to magical worlds, while others tackle more intimate or decidedly contemporary themes. Here are the shows you won’t want to miss to kick off the new theater season in Brussels.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by Shakespeare
Thwarted romances, delightful misunderstandings, and spells gone awry: in Shakespeare’s world, a single night in the forest is enough to turn love stories into joyful chaos. In this magical comedy directed by Thierry Debroux, lost lovers, fantastical creatures, and humans cross paths in a whirlwind that’s as funny as it is poetic. An invitation to laugh, dream, and let go—suitable for ages 8 and up at the Théâtre Royal du Parc .
Forget Me: A Love Story in the Face of Oblivion
Jeanne and Arthur are simply in love. Their story seems perfect until the day the first signs of upheaval begin to shake their daily lives. Adapted from Matthew Seager’s *In Other Words*, this play—starring Tania Garbarski and Charlie Dupont — blends humor, tenderness, and emotion to explore what remains of love when memory begins to fade. An intimate and deeply moving story that manages to make you laugh just as much as it tugs at your heartstrings.
Zazous, A Bright Future Ahead: Swing as an Act of Resistance
During World War II, the Zazous were young people who refused to let their youth be stolen from them. In Brussels, Paris, or Berlin, these extravagantly dressed young men and women defied conventions, curfews, and the occupying forces to listen to jazz, dance the swing, and turn their freedom into a form of resistance. In this production by Patricia Ide and Laure Godisiabois, their stories take on the feel of a musical, blending songs, humor, and choreography. An energetic and joyful show that brings to life a generation as defiant as it was rebellious.
La Fête: When an Encounter Turns into a Face-to-Face Confrontation
Inspired by an event that deeply affected Belgium, *La Fête* takes its cue from the death of student Sanda Dia in 2018 during an initiation ritual organized by a Flemish student fraternity. Two years after the trial, the play imagines a meeting between the victim’s family and those of the two convicted men, gathered in a villa on the North Sea coast. What was meant to be a moment of dialogue and reconciliation gradually turns into a tense, closed-door encounter, where responsibilities, privileges, and silences resurface. A production by Anne-Cécile Vandalem and Joëlle Sambi that promises a gripping and necessary exploration of the dark corners of our society.
It’s Not Easy to Be Happy When You’re Down: Five Parisians in Search of Happiness
What if happiness were, after all, much more complicated than we thought? In this comedy by Rudy Milstein, five Parisians in their forties struggle as best they can to keep their heads above water. Jonathan, a therapist who’s in worse shape than his patients; Nora, on the verge of a nervous breakdown; Jeanne, who’s searching for an explanation for her cancer and refuses to give in to fatalism; Maxime, desperately searching for love; and Timothée, who convinces himself that everything is fine— each has their own little disasters to deal with. Amid existential anxieties, romantic entanglements, and biting dialogue, the play transforms the struggles of everyday life into a comedy that’s as darkly humorous as it is deeply human. Winner of two Molière Awards in 2024, it promises, above all, a good dose of laughter.
