The child in Robert Lepage couldn't help but think nostalgically of the good years of Édouard Carpentier, Mad Dog Vachon and Géant Ferré through the production STRIKE!a work that combines wrestling, circus and theater and will be presented on Tuesday at the Théâtre Le Diamant.
For a very rare time, combat enthusiasts and performing arts enthusiasts can enjoy the same event in a single evening. With SLAM! Eight acrobats take the stage or the ring for a circus show, the narrative of which takes on the appearance of a wrestling gala. Featured are luchador masks and capes, diabolo, top rope jumps and over-the-top comedy.
“STRIKE!” will be performed at the Théâtre Le Diamant on March 5th. Photo agency QMI, Marcel Tremblay
“Wrestling was almost like a religion for me at a certain time in Quebec [lutteur] The favorite was Édouard Carpentier,” remembers with sadness the director of SLAM!, Robert Lepage, with whom Le Journal spoke on the eve of the premiere.
Director Robert Lepage. Photo agency QMI, Marcel Tremblay
Anyone who vividly remembers the rivalry between Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon and the Ferré Giant, also known as André the Giant, is thrilled by the idea of the connection between his childhood love and his passion for the circus.
“[La lutte et le cirque] “Obviously they have acrobatic and athletic sides in common,” he notes. “What interests me about wrestling is the larger-than-life side of the characters and the hyper-theatrical aspect, and I found the world of the circus to be an ideal fit for that,” explains the playwright, who also believes that Cirque du Soleil filled towards the end of the 1980s a certain void created by the decline of wrestling in Quebec.
- Listen to the press review commented by Alexandre Dubé above QUB :
“It hurts, it hurts very, very much!”
This famous saying from the wrestler Édouard Carpentier, who died in 2010, must come to mind for the circus performers who will be part of SLAM! nowadays. Luckily, they had advice from athletes in the wrestling world during their preparation.
“Acrobats always have pain somewhere, but [dans un combat de lutte] this pain is brought to the fore; The part where they have to punch and punch each other is different from what we normally do,” says Bruno Gagnon, founder and general and artistic director of FLIP Fabrique, which produces this show together with Ex Machina.
Bruno Gagnon, founder and general and artistic director of FLIP Fabrique. Photo agency QMI, Marcel Tremblay
Robert Lepage is thrilled by the ease with which the acrobats adapted to this production, which is a little more brutal than they are used to.
“How to fall, how to pretend to be hurt; In one afternoon they learned what can often take a month.”
► STRIKE! will be performed March 5-9 at Théâtre Le Diamant in Quebec. The show will then be seen at the TOHU Cité des arts du cirque in Montreal from March 19th to April 7th. The international performances are scheduled to begin in the fall, although some details still need to be confirmed.