Undone tales with the Opéra Grand Avignon at L’Autre Scène Vedène – News
The Opéra Grand Avignon presents a show for children (and adults) with the duo FrICTIONs, bringing together the contralto Sarah Laulan and the tenor-accordionist Rémy Poulakis, in an unbridled suite of songs around fairy tales, entitled “Contes Défaits at the Théâtre de L’Autre Scène in Vedène.
The show is a suite of original and current songs, with texts by Sarah Laulan set to music by Remy Poulakis, on influences of jazz, world music, realistic song, popular ball, but also opera. Throughout the show, the artists take the children, amazed and captivated, on a journey filled with colors, music and dreams… The scenography of the Kikapami workshop is simple, but very colorful. It consists of a secret table (with the legs of a successful monster), behind which the singers remain during the whole show. They reveal a whole lot of surprises and small details as if it were a POP-UP book, furry and as the show progresses. They thus make you travel in the forest of Little Red Riding Hood, on the island of Captain Hook and even under the mountain of gold where a little dragon sleeps (which surely alludes to Smaug, from The Hobbit). Spectators thus meet Baba Yaga, Hänsel and Gretel, Cinderella, the pretty little spider, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, among other magical characters. The work of the two artists is enhanced by Gilles Gaudet on the lights and Camille Audergon on the sound, which contributes enormously to creating the magic and this dreamlike atmosphere which dazzles the toddlers.
The contralto Sarah Laulan leads the show, introducing each tale, the accordionist Remy Poulakis giving him the cue (both with a microphone). Without even needing to move, they release together by their vocal and theatrical expressiveness an energy that fascinates the young audience, but also the adults visibly captivated by their charisma. The repertoire mixing several styles of music, the singer uses her lyrical voice only for a few small passages where her vocal technique is round and velvety, with particularly pleasant sustained bass. The tenor and accordionist also shows his singing voice, highlighting a nice clear timbre, with a free and natural vibrato, the treble piano remaining well stamped. The voices, like the game, go very well together.
After hearing a princess sing who doesn’t want to get married, a prince who refuses to take responsibility, a lonely bored witch and a pirate who has sent mold, the entire audience gives a long salute to the artists (who then lends in the game of meeting the children to help them discover the secrets of their magic table).