The Opéra Grand Avignon presents a show for children (and adults) with the duo FrICTIONs, bringing together contralto Sarah Laulan and 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 I sing set to music by Rémy 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 monster sticking out), behind which the singers stay during the whole show. They reveal a whole lot of surprises and little details as if it were a POP-UP book, 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 fully enhanced by Gilles Gaudet on the lights and Camille Audergon on the sound, who contribute enormously to creating the magic and this dreamlike atmosphere which dazzles the toddlers.
The contralto Sarah I sing leads the show, introducing each tale, the accordionist Rémy 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 highs 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 musty-smelling pirate, the entire audience gives a long salute to the artists (who then lend themselves to the meeting with children to help them discover the secrets of their magic table).
