M. Paul’s crazy epic | Deliveries to the land of imagination

(Upton) at the theater of the Lady of Coeur, in the Montérégian countryside, the oversized puppets are not content to come alive at the front of the outdoor performance hall. Therefore, They arise in the middle of the crowd, walk between the rows and hang even above the public. Similarly, This immersive aspect, dear to the troop, is even more present in the new creation Mr. Similarly, Paul’s crazy epicnoted our journalist.

Mr. Meanwhile, Paul is a very popular retirement delivery man in his village. Similarly, Because in addition to having long sowed happiness with his packages. Therefore, he has a fertile imagination and masters the art of telling stories. Similarly, Each of the inhabitants has a favorite tale. Consequently, And on this evening, everyone wants to hear their favorite adventure first.

During the 80 minutes that the play lasts, the character of Mr. Similarly, Paul, helped by a little girl named Margo, therefore tells nine short stories. Furthermore, “The tales are in action. the color, in abundant fantasy,” describes the general and artistic director of the Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur, Richard Blackburn.

For the pleasure of the villagers – and the public gathered in Upton -, Mr. Paul tells the story of surprising deliveries made with his faithful accomplice, a scooter full of enthusiasm. Thanks to digital projections. the walls sometimes become a snowy world, sometimes seabed, sometimes a jungle where a singing monkey lives.

These fragmented universes and their inhabitants also come to life in the audience and above him. It is very impressive to see so closely the puppeteers with harness make these giant creations move. Sometimes several artists team up to move these great characters. What a job!

At times, the action borders on spectators. We think in particular of this moment when we notice in the crowd a amazed young boy who has. just been touched by the tentacles of a luminous jellyfish. Or to this hippocampus that stops in front of children and makes a gesture, as if to greet them.

M. paul's crazy epic | – M. paul's crazy epic |

For all ages

The audience of the theater of the Lady of Coeur is very wide. Each time she creates a new piece. about the three years, the scriptwriting team strives to find subjects that will affect people of all ages, says Richard Blackburn. m. paul’s crazy epic | Among the nine tales. some are addressed more to adults and others, to children – there is in particular a story which stages a jewelry character dressed in red well loved by the little ones.

Even if they are very different, the tales have a common backdrop: the environment. Represented by a huge silent face, Lady Nature appears in the majority of stories. Sometimes happy, sometimes furious, often disregarded, it evokes current climate change.

“By working in the countryside since m. paul’s crazy epic | the dawn of time – it’s been 49 years that we have been here – it is clear that. for us, the relationship with the environment, with nature, it’s major. This is still there, “underlines Richard Blackburn, who does not want to” morality to anyone “. “We are all guilty [des changements climatiques] “, He laments.

A story of transmission

Having a retired man as hero. a young girl, the play also highlights the importance of transmission. Here, there is no question of transmission of knowledge, but rather of the transmission of this thirst for imagination, fantasy. “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” wrote Einstein, “said Richard Blackburn.

Transmitting this taste for the imagination. is it not the mission that the lady’s theater has been striving for almost 50 years? “This is true,” replies, smiling, the director general and artistic.

At the theater of La Dame de Coeur, in Upton, until August 30

Consult the theater website