The Petits bonheurs festival, which will be held until May 15, has been in full swing since Friday. Among the many activities on offer, several plays allow children to discover the magic of the 6and art. Between the consequences of disobedience presented in nonsense up to the initiatory journey of a little red foal who discovers the seasons, we witness, moved, the existential reflections of a child in Roots.
Metamorphosis
In a warm setting, on a summer evening when the phragmites welcome the last light of the evening, three characters — Marie-Ève Trudel, Albane Sophia Château and Véronique Lafleur — with a mischievous eye have fun, then decide to ransack the setting. . If some remorse touches them, the three nevertheless fall asleep without problem until the next morning, when they see themselves decked out in donkey ears. Then, soon, a tail and a complete head. This metamorphosis is accompanied by reflections around their new animal state, in particular on the need to chew or on the awakening of the senses which takes over the importance of words. Just produced by Cabane theater and written by Anne-Sophie Tougas, nonsense is above all an ode to play. But also a reflection on the relationship to the world, to oneself, to attitudes. Despite these few qualities, the actors had to deal with an unexpected event. The COVID-19 having infiltrated the team, Véronique Lafleur – replacing Jod Léveillé-Bernard – had to take the role off the cuff, ultimately offering a running-in show. Lecterns, lack of fluidity and naturalness have harmed this presentation. Apart from this disadvantage, the narrative remains sometimes incoherent. It can be difficult to follow the thread that unites the old and the new life of the characters due, in particular, to an overabundance of puns surrounding their new state which requires sustained attention and referents that the characters did not have. little ones in the room. Special mention to Véronique Lafleur who obviously did everything possible to blend in with this presentation.
Initiatory journey
“There will be a red colt on the stage,” announces a little girl to her little sister sitting in the room. ” Oh ! A red colt? ! Hahahaha! exclaims the latter. “A foal is the horse’s baby,” concludes the big sister seriously. This interest has not ceased since the first appearance of the famous equine until the final where the children gave these Foal Seasons, an adaptation by Irina Niculescu of the text by Vladimir Simon created in 1977, and presented here by the Théâtre de l’œil. In a staging that arouses children’s curiosity, The foal’s seasons is an initiatory journey undertaken by the young equine who decides to leave his parents to discover the vast world. He thus crosses the seasons – introduced by a master of ceremonies, Pierre-Louis Renaud as a skilful and sensitive storyteller – and meets several characters. A rabbit, a wolf, an eagle, a snake, each allowing him to discover the good and the bad side of things. The work of the puppeteers (Jean Cummings, Myriame Larose and Graham Soul) and puppet creators (Mioara Buescu and John Lewandowski) is impressively skilful. So much so that a little girl asked her mother if there were real horses there. Shadow theater, music, lighting, decor, both refined and evocative of the atmosphere and the places crossed by the foal, and refined puppets make this show an artistic masterpiece. Nothing less.
Existential reflection
Welcomed by the actress and dancer Zoé Delsalle, the little ones are invited to take off their shoes, then follow her, and go to her lair, a cozy, calm space, reminiscent of a forest, an inviting refuge. From there, the actress lies down on the ground, lets herself be rocked, like a baby in her mother’s womb, according to her breaths. And a narration begins, in voice off. A child speaks to his mother and becomes aware of the distance which separates them more and more. “How can you forget that I am everything to you? These questions lead to self-learning, a perceptible quest for identity in this “vertigo of finding who [il est] » until this finale where « pushed by [ses] roots, [il] move forward in the forest of possibilities”. Roots, brand new co-production of La Minoterie and Les Petits bonheurs, offers real soothing for the eye and all the senses. Elie Marchand’s poetic text adds to this sweetness that is very present in its refined staging. The only object on stage, a videocassette which is deconstructed throughout the crossing of the child, unravels, opens, reveals its magnetic tape, an inexhaustible source. The text is filled with little phrases, “arms of the boreal forest”, which, if not understood by children, will be felt and this is the essence of poetry. A soothing experience during which we could have heard a pin drop. Famous.