From a theatrical poster stylized to evoke a watercolor painting, a young girl gazes pensively at the viewer, her portrait awash in soft tones of blue, white, and red. While the design may nod to the iconic artwork for Les Misérables, it’s actually promoting another melodic show set in 19th-century France: Bernadette, The Musical which tells the story of an impoverished teenager from Lourdes who saw a series of apparitions believed to be the Virgin Mary. The show premiered in France in 2019. This year, an English-language production launches its North American tour at Chicago’s Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, February 12–March 15.
Kelsey Grammer, the Emmy winner best known for starring in the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier (he also won a Tony Award as a producer of the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple) is one of the show’s producers. Though not a Catholic, he spoke about his views on faith during a December press conference at the Athenaeum. “I think man’s search for faith on this planet is part of why we’re here,” he remarked. “Part of our understanding of being a human being is to figure out where we fit in the universe and what our relationship is to the creator of that universe, and I’m delighted to be here to try to help take the story further for people.”
The eldest of nine children, the sickly Bernadette Soubirous was fourteen in 1858 when she first had her visions while out gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. As word of her claims spread, she was grilled by the Church and civic authorities. Ultimately, Soubirous retreated, becoming a boarder in a school run by the Sisters of Charity, where she died in 1879, aged 35. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1933 and to this day, Lourdes remains a popular site of pilgrimage.
Based on Grammer’s comments and the history of the Athenaeum, which was originally founded in 1911 by the Redemptorist Fathers of St. Alphonsus as a cultural venue for their parishioners, it would be easy to assume that Bernadette—which stars Eyma Scharen, the French actress who originated the title role—is a religious production primarily intended for the faithful. However, Bernadette director and book writer Serge Denoncourt believes that the show appeals more broadly to anyone interested in history or in the story of a plucky young person.
A Canadian director whose work spans opera, drama, and musical theater, Denoncourt initially declined the invitation to work on Bernadette a decade ago. “I’m not a believer, so I was not interested,” shares Denoncourt, who directed Cirque du Soleil’s Believe in Las Vegas. But as a history lover, he became intrigued by the archival records of Bernadette’s interrogation by French law enforcement. These documents show that she never claimed that the woman appearing in her visions was the Virgin Mary, though the apparition eventually identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception.” Despite skepticism and opposition from local townspeople and officials, Bernadette stuck to her account. “I fell in love with Bernadette, the little girl, not the saint—the show is not about the saint, it’s about the little girl before she became a saint—because she’s fantastic,” says Denoncourt. “She’s stubborn. She has a temper. She’s a real teenager.”
In addition to Denoncourt, the creative team includes French singer-songwriter Grégoire as composer and lyricist, with Lionel Florence and Patrice Guirao as lyricists and writers. Scott Price, who has been Céline Dion’s musical director since 2015, arranged the music, while Barry Blue (a lyricist who has also worked with Dion) penned the English adaptation. During the musical’s initial run in Lourdes, Los Angeles Times correspondent Chris O’Brien described its songs as “alternately heart-tugging and rousing.”
Following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show returned to Lourdes in 2022 and later toured in France and Italy. In September 2025, Fathom Entertainment broadcast the French-language production in U.S. cinemas to commemorate the 100th anniversary of St. Bernadette’s beatification. With a cast about evenly split between American and Canadian actors, the North American tour includes one new song and some fresh arrangements. “We’re trying to make the show more interesting, with more tension, and I’m quite happy, said Denoncourt. “I think this version will be the final one.”
Steven Martella, an actor based in New York City, joins the tour as Commissaire Jacomet, the police chief who interrogates Bernadette. Martella first heard of the show through his agent, and as he learned more about Bernadette’s story through the audition process, “the more enticed I became with it,” he says. “I thought her story was incredibly inspirational. I really appreciate the human elements of the show. She’s flawed—we all are—but that’s what makes her such a beautiful saint.”
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