First performed at the Théâtre national de l'Opéra Comique in a light, digital version during the Covid-19 pandemic in November 2020, "Du renard au gorille" was presented in its full version and in front of a real audience for the first time on 13 June 2021 at the Orangerie du Château de Maintenon (28), then given at the Foyer de l'Opéra Comique in October 2022.

The texts in this programme and the way they are set to music reflect a form of French wit that is reminiscent of the origins of the Opéra Comique: that little taste of revolt that is conveyed with a smile (often the surest way of getting round censorship). The satirical smile of La Fontaine's fables and other animal transpositions, the good-natured smile we lend to... children, the worrying smile of Richepin where the murderer advertises his services like an honest shopkeeper, the rebellious smile of women who make fun of patriarchy and claim their freedom, and the slightly darker smiles of a Vian or a Brassens who, under the guise of fun, call for our vigilance on matters of life and death...