“200 motels-The suites”, the unclassifiable work of Franck Zappa adapted for the Nice Opera

Adapted from the 1971 Tony Palmer and Franck Zappa film “200 Motels – The Suite” arrives at the Nice Opera for two performances on December 1 and 2. An extraordinary show where rock, symphonic music and musical comedy combine against the backdrop of a crazy television show.

Beware of turbulence at the Nice Opera. The unclassifiable spirit of Franck Zappa arrives on stage. 200 Motels – The Suite is the adaptation of a film he made in 1971 with Tony Palmer, and in which he plays alongside other legends like Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. It tells the story of the life on tour of a rock group, which notably participates in a television show which goes awry. A show for informed audiences and not recommended for under 16s.

The atmosphere is a little crazy during rehearsals. It’s the excitement at the time of setting Zappa’s spirit in motion. “He delivered this score to us, a bit of a kit at first, and we made a show out of it explains director Antoine Gindt. What interested me above all was this music by Zappa which mixes the symphony orchestra, the choir, percussion, a rock group… And to reconstruct all these characters and bring them to life on an opera stage.”.

More than 120 musicians and singers take turns on stage, under the direction of conductor Léo Warynski, seduced by the visionary spirit of Franck Zappa. “In fact what’s very funny about Zappa is that he loves to laugh at himself, at society and at its failings. Even before it existed, he talked about the dangers of social networks, he talked about MeeToo too, all these things. There’s a lot of humor, but he does it seriously.”.

Eternal Frank Zappa

Scenic transposition of a film that has become cult, 200 Motels – The Suite is an unclassifiable show, where genres mix and where energy overflows. Like Franck Zappa (1940 – 1993) whose gigantic work is difficult to measure. Composer, singer, actor and satirist, he has tried his hand at many genres.

A committed observer of the world around him, he developed a critical tone to address throughout his career the subjects that were close to his heart, such as education and freedom of expression..