Posted yesterday at 11:00 a.m.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Perched on a turret, young Anna, played by Caroline Tosti, addresses the audience in a knowing tone. She promises to tell him “the strangest story” that has happened in this city. Curious to know her? Here’s a hint: it involves a rather rebellious nose.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
To write this wacky play, the director Philippe Robert (on the right, in the photo) was freely inspired by a short story by Nicolas Gogol. ” The noseit’s the story of a big, strange and fabulous license that crisscrosses the city in every corner and that transforms a little the people it meets, ”he explains.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
On the stage, this “strange and fabulous patent” is the nose of Professor M. Pierre, who has mysteriously escaped from his face to lead his own existence. Philippe Robert, however, draws a parallel with the caravan itself, which, for 70 years, “transforms the people a little” who attend its shows.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Mr. Pierre, played by Ismaël Zourhlal, therefore wakes up one morning without his nose. It’s appalling! People will laugh at him, he thinks. His solution? Find your nose as soon as possible!
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
“His quest will bring him into all the workings of what makes up a society: the health sector, the education sector, the information sector…”, says Philippe Robert, who indicates that the piece puts highlight “the absurdity of this system”.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
An example ? At the hospital, Mr. Pierre will have a hard time seeing a family doctor. Luckily for him, there is a “homeless doctor” in this town, played by Charlie Monty. “I wanted to work on the absurd in the theater, to make Monty Python for children”, specifies the director.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
It is always theater school graduates who take the stage at La Roulotte. This did not prevent Philippe Robert from setting the bar very high. “I use a lot of theatrical languages. There is singing, dancing, puppetry, the mascot…” In the photo, we see Doriane Lens-Pitt, Pierre-Luc Giroux and Charlie Monty in full choreography.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Self-image and the gaze of others are omnipresent themes in the play. “It’s a eulogy to singularity and strangeness,” says Philippe Robert, who believes in the importance of cultivating what is out of the ordinary. The show also ends with this invitation: “Be weird! »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
While waiting to get the trailer out of town, the troupe was rehearsing at the Olympic Stadium. From Monday, she will meet the public in Montreal parks until August 19. In all, 50 performances are scheduled for the summer.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Each year, approximately 25,000 people attend La Roulotte shows. For many families, “it has become a tradition”, underlines Philippe Robert, who invites people from 0 to 120 years old to come and discover the strange story of Mr. Pierre in the open air.