French Cancan “The Spirit of Paris”
From March 19, 2013 at the Palace
Directed by Jacques Duparc
Choreography by Marie Valton
A few days ago, Luxsure attended the premiere of French Cancan after months of preparation (we had attended a premiere in November 2012). With its lively tableaux and dynamic choreography, we couldn’t wait!
There’s an air of carefree revolution about the capital’s nights! Since March 19, 2013, the Palace, mythical temple of festive exuberance, has been hosting a cheeky, flamboyant show directed by Jacques Duparc that boldly revisits the famous cancan. Under the mischievous direction of the master of the genre, Jacques Offenbach, fifteen male and female dancers and five singers take to the stage for 1 hour 40 minutes of dancing delirium and musical delight. A veritable revue of 8 sumptuous and astonishing tableaux, in which Marie Valton’s choreography and Eymeric François’s costumes reinvent the cancan in a spirited world tour… Electro cancan, Bollywood cancan, but also songs from yesterday and today, come and discover the spirit of Paris!
An hour and forty minutes of fantasy in a vibrant tribute to Jacques Offenbach and to Paris, which has become the most festive city of all time.
Paris, 1850.
It was a time of pleasure and entertainment. The French “Quadrille” was transformed into the “cancan” in the warm heckling of the bals du Quartier Latin. From then on, the cancan carried with it the genes of modernity and non-conformism. Inspired by the dances of Sunday laundresses, who flaunted their slit, ironed and affriolant petticoats as much to seduce fiancés as to show off their skills, it became an attraction for every soul visiting Paris. Even today, this licentious dance, the embodiment of French sensuality, renamed “French Cancan” by London showman Charles Morton in the 1860s, appeals to all audiences. It travels, lives and breathes, moults and stirs! With French Cancan, Jacques Duparc wanted to take the audience into a daydream and create a new myth, a terribly contemporary cancan. Paris rediscovers its letters of nobility: French chic, sexy turbulence, the magic of sharing and the insolence of the night.
“French Cancan” brings together dancers, performers and creators who share a love of cabaret and a refusal to divide themselves. Each in his own speciality has woven links between styles and disciplines to form a talented and motley family. Director Jacques Duparc has drawn on his twenty-five years of experience in the world of opera and musical comedy to create an inspired show, sublimated by the frenzied choreography of Marie Valton, whose vision of the cancan is an ode to femininity. Throughout the show, five singers give their all, including soprano Claudia Mauro, a cabaret enthusiast who sails from Kurt Weill to Offenbach, the sparkling Prisca Demarez, recently seen in Avenue Q, and the seductive Régis Mengus, whose debut at the Metz opera led him to embark on a career at the crossroads of genres. Gilles San Juan, a warm, charismatic tenor, and Agnès Pat’s complete this cast of stunning voices.
Glamour in the spotlight
Enhanced by set designer Christophe Vallaux and lighting designer Frédéric Millot, the stage is enlivened by an explosive cocktail of colors and brought to life by the silhouettes of Eymeric François. Eymeric François, renowned for his spectacular creations that turn traditional couture codes on their head, designed the costumes for the show, reflecting the perfect balance between tradition and modernity that he wanted for “French Cancan”. Shimmering colors for glittering women, dark openwork lingerie for fatal muses, fluorescent harnesses for electric girls and electronic style, khaki jackets and gold braids for assertive femininity… all the women are embodied in turn in the show’s tableaux.
They dance:
Verbecq Yvana, assistant choreographer, Abad Garcia Cristina, Attal Delphine, Errin Roxane, Folcher Marie, Garic Héléna, Guimaraes Steve, Le Guevellou Lionel, Le Roc Sabine, Machuelle Fanny, Melim Mauro, Duray Rachel, Thierry Amsellem, Senelis Alick, Thelliez Stéphanie.
LE PALACE
8 rue du Faubourg Montmartre 75009 Paris
Tuesday to Saturday at 8:00 pm / Sundays at 3:00 pm / Mondays off
Prices: from €30 to €45 Reservations:
Réseau Fnac – France billet : Fnac, 0892 683 622 (€0.34 incl. tax / min), Carrefour, Géant, Système U, Bon Marché / Ticketnet
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
