There is no doubting that the comical, bizarre mishmash found in La Meringue du Souterrain is the work of Sophie Perez. Since 1998, with her company Le Zerep, she has been staging cheeky pieces without hierarchies or norms that play on absurdity, misunderstandings and the carnivalesque. Created during lockdown, this piece is initially striking because of its exuberant stage design: a sculpture of a grimacing face whose nostrils are dripping with snot, a nod to the cover of King Crimson’s first album, with mannequins of spectators in tiered seats and giant meringues. The drama itself is just as crazy, with chapters featuring a theatre quiz, tribal dances and ballads on the synth, with seemingly unconnected characters such as Delphine Seyrig and Pinocchio suddenly appearing. This pirate theatre, idiotic and packed with references, makes the most of the liberating joy of not doing what you’re told.
Création 2022 / Conception, scénographie : Sophie Perez / Avec : Sophie Lenoir, Stéphane Roger + apparitions de Adrien Castillo, Baptiste De Laubier / Textes : Sophie Perez inspirée par Sophie Lenoir, Stéphane Roger, Pacôme Thiellement / Costumes : Sophie Perez, Corine Petitpierre / Musique originale : DJ Bugiardo / Régie générale : Léo Garnier / Création lumière : Fabrice Combier, Gildas Roudaut / Création son : Félix Perdreau / Régie plateau, assistant scénographie : Adrien Castillo / Assistant : Baptiste De Laubier / Sculptures : Daniel Mestanza / Accessoires, sculptures : Adrien Castillo, Anne Tesson, Baptiste De Laubier / Administration, production : Julie Pagnier, Anaël Lallouette-Zylbersztain / Diffusion : Nicolas Roux | oTTo Productions
Production : Compagnie du Zerep / Coproduction : Charleroi danse, La Villette – Initiatives d’Artistes, CCN de Caen en Normandie, Ateliers Médicis, Gigafus Production, Arsenic Lausanne / Soutien : DRAC Ile-de-France, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, CN D Centre national de la danse, Le Carreau du Temple, TQI Théâtre des Quartiers d’Ivry CDN du Val-de-Marne / Aide : Région Ile-de-France