Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï (2018-2019)
English Title
Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï
Director
Paul Moulin
Playwright
From the comic book by Fabrice Caro (aka Fabcaro), adapted by (the wonderful & talented) Maïa Sandoz.
Year
2018
Form
Play—Performed in the manner of a radio play.
Duration
50 mins
Synopsis
At a supermarket checkout, Fabrice is about to pay for his shopping. He slips a hand into his pocket in search of his loyalty card, but it cannot be found. As he tries in vain to justify his forgetfulness, the cashier calls security. Frightened, he fled. In a society where speech is free and judgment king, this incident quickly turns into a real manhunt.
About the production
After Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï by Fabcaro
Stage direction
Paul Moulin
Adaptation
Maïa Sandoz
Sound creation
Christophe Danvin
With
Aymeric Demarigny
Blanche Gardin
Adèle Haenel
Cyrille Labbé
Aurélie Verillon
Élisa Bourreau
Maxime Coggio
Christophe Danvin
With the voice of
Serge Biavan
Artistic collaboration
Maïa Sandoz
Light creation
Emmanuel Noblet
Scenography & costumes
Paul Moulin
Sound recording, editing, & mixing
Jean-François Domingues
Production
Théâtre de L'Argument
Performed at
- Le Monfort Theater
- 23 Jan to 9 Feb 19, 2018
- Pulp Festival
- 6/7/8 April 2018
- National Theatre of Brittany
- February 26—March 2, 2019
About converting a comic book into a stage play
(my bolding)
“We would nevertheless bet that Fabcaro is currently asking himself, and like everyone else, the big question: unless you absolutely want to offer a string of bad sketches in a pasteboard decor, is it very reasonable to pretend to adapt a comic strip on stage which, with its few pages, its dozens of characters, its almost identical boxes and its minimal line, its constant ellipses and breaks in tone, seems in every way inappropriate - or worse, typically the kind of work of which any fan would consider it a supreme scandal to want to adapt it? The answer is clearly no. Except to find a brilliant twist, as Paul Moulin and Maïa Sandoz were able to do: not to stage the comic strip in a naturalistic way, but to make it a radio fiction made at sight, with a noise maker and a sound boom, "To transcribe all the madness of the comic strip," continues Paul, "when staging, doing it to sound seemed more fanciful."
Anyone who has ever seen actors in the middle of dubbing or vocal creation has surely made the point: it is dramatically magnificent to see almost static actors in front of their microphones inventing the most impromptu timbres, to see them twist the face to condense the energy of a character in his only voice. To see them slide between incarnation and disembodiment, entering and leaving the game without having only spotted where the door was. We made reports and documentaries of it, more rarely shows. And it is this kind of pleasure that this Zaï Zaï… theatrical gives us , "that of seeing the technique at work", specifies Maïa Sandoz, that of "touching in a way what Diderot says in the paradox of the actor," underlines Blanche Gardin, the one who surely presents here the most extensible game palette, starting from the supermarket cashier to finish on the negotiating cop passing by the child or the old truck driver. “Being able to play 10,000 characters in a few minutes, and all that without moving or almost, you really have the impression of being at HP. And what it gives the spectator is surely the feeling of seeing puppets.” That also of feeling a rare and primary emotion, that of the pure pleasure of playing together - undoubtedly the ransom of what binds all these actors for years and which they brandish as a "politics of friendship".
Eve Beauvallet, Liberation
Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï: l'adaptation de la BD de Fabcaro au theatre
Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï Montforte Theatre, Paris
Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï Teaser
Adèle is not in this clip, it is a season of a Théâtre de L'Argument production of the play that she was not in, but is really worth watching to get an idea of the energy of the play and the dynamics of the theatre troupe
Adèle’s role
Adèle is not in this clip, it is a season of a Théâtre de L'Argument production of the play that she was not in, but is really worth watching to get an idea of the energy of the play and the dynamics of the theatre troupe
Adèle’s role
Many characters!
Note of intent, Paul Moulin, Director
How not to succumb to the charm of Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï?
"At the first reading of this Fabcaro comic, we are struck by the devastating and absurd humour (not that much) of these 66 or so plates. This road trip prank is an opportunity for the author to tackle everyone: the police, teenagers, well-meaning artists, conspiracy theorists and, in a very good place: the media. In a state of emergency and ambient paranoia it is completely beneficial. The story is burlesque, with a very powerful political and social second reading. This separate work gives the sensation of looking at the world head-on, taking a side step so as not to get caught in the face. So it's totally gratifying. Fabcaro indirectly talks about tolerance and acceptance of the other. He denounces the security and cruel dysfunctions of our society or if we prefer "the bullshit". Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï is by far the most modern and original dramaturgy that we have read in the last 2 years. A great desire is imposed today, sweeping away everything in its path: to take hold of this singular work, to decline it, bring it to the stage and make it heard."
Notes
This is another brilliant production from Théâtre de L'Argument that I would love to see performed! This time Maïa Sandoz has adapted a comic book that is well known in France and her co-founder of Théâtre de L'Argument, Paul Moulin, directs the play. The eight actors are set up as if performing a radio play, with sound makers (á la a radio play) also on stage to be part of the madness. The reviews are universally very positive, and the photos and video clips indicate that an evening of craziness would have been enjoyed by all in the audience. Hopefully, they will keep this in their repertoire and I will be able to attend a performance (as soon as this damned virus allows me to travel—there is a total ban on international travel from my country [Australia] that will probably last for years, literally…).
Reviews
‘From Aymeric Demarigny to Adèle Haenel, from Emmanuel Noblet to Aurélie Verillon, from Maxime Coggio to Élisa Bourreau, from Christophe Danvin to Cyrille Labbé, everyone successfully meets the challenge. It must be said that the earthy substrate provided by Fabcaro helps them greatly. Little by little, the troupe lets itself be won over by the touch of madness that submerges this story at the crunchy starting point.’
‘How not to succumb to the charm of Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï? At the first reading of this comic strip by Fabrice Caro, known as "Fabcaro", we are struck by the devastating and absurd humor of these 66 boards. In this road trip prank, Fabcaro indirectly speaks of tolerance and acceptance of the other. He denounces the security and cruel dysfunctions of our society.
Paul Moulin and his accomplices seize this singular work, to bring it to the stage and make it heard in the form of a radio fiction. This above all sound device works the imagination of the spectator by suggesting decorations, interiors, exteriors, car accidents or gospel choirs. And is inspired by the minimalist features of Fabcaro in which postures count more than faces and details.’
“Zaï zaï zaï zaï is an exercise in style and a game of massacre. (…) Nothing sour, however, nor tragic in this rendering, because the moralist advances masked. A talented dynamiter, Fabcaro knows how to balance social criticism and bursts of laughter, sharp decryptions and poetic discoveries. A real joy to read.”
Stéphane Jarno, Télérama
‘A radio fiction made at sight, with a noise maker and a sound boom, some microphones and around fifty characters embodied by eight (excellent) actors.’
Eve Beauvallet, Liberation
The comic strip "Zaï Zaï Zaï Zaï" by Fabcaro on stage at the Pulp Festival 2018
‘The absurd farce of Fabcaro, critic of the consumer society and the functioning of the media comes to life at the Pulp Festival at La Ferme du Buisson in Noisiel. A caustic play performed by the company of the Argument Theater led by Paul Moulin and Maïa Sandoz with Blanche Gardin and Adèle Haenel.
Fabcaro's absurd and political comic strip, published in 2015 by Six pieds sous terre, crowned with several prizes, including the Grand Prix de la critique ACBD, became a play.
An effective minimalist staging
‘On the stage of La Ferme du Buisson Studio in Noisiel in the Paris suburbs at the Pulp Festival in 2018, a handful of actors are lined up. They are leaning in front of microphones, move little. To their left, noise makers. The staging, signed Paul Moulin (actor and director) is minimalist, as was Fabcaro's trait in the book. The piece looks like a radio fiction, but proof of the efficiency and the orality present in the comic, it works.’
Anne Douhaire, France Inter
https://www.franceinter.fr/theatre/la-bande-dessinee-zai-zai-zai-de-fabcaro-reussit-son-passage-sur-scene-au-pulp-festival-2018
https://www.franceinter.fr/theatre/la-bande-dessinee-zai-zai-zai-de-fabcaro-reussit-son-passage-sur-scene-au-pulp-festival-2018
“Upon arrival, there is a theatrical (or rather radio) adaptation, just as brilliant. Eight supercharged actors, installed in front of microphones, interpret the comic; only by sound. With their voice, they embody more than 80 characters and at the same time take care of the sound effects, using a multitude of objects (a computer keyboard, a plastic cup, a leek ...). This short show (50 minutes) takes Fabcaro's text to the letter and shows the extraordinary sense of rhythm of its author. The pleasure of seeing the actors, only focused on the sound, is also delicious (their faces are deformed, their bodies twist but their eyes remain fixed ...). You just have to close your eyes to realize the correctness of their performance. Delightful.”
'Through a crazy radio adaptation, the Théâtre de L'Argument gives life to the hilarious text of the comic book author, Fabcaro.'
Again, Théâtre de L'Argument has events for community education
The commitment of this acting troupe to putting on politically relevant productions that always achieve rave reviews AND they engage with the public and, frequently, with students, is truly admirable. I'm a fan!
Chat with the actors over a drink
‘The eight actors, who all work alternately on these roles, are all excellent. Special feature of the troupe: we can meet the actors over a drink, at the end of the play, with a little surprise bonus…. “In our troupe, conviviality is always one of the questions we ask ourselves when creating a piece. Our theatre is very critical of society, we are interested in extending the relationship created with the spectators." Said Maia Sandoz. We can therefore discuss with all the actors, including with Adèle Haenel, whose latest films "120 beats per minute" and "En Liberté" were a hit. "I continue to favour the theatre" explains the director, who we imagine is in great demand.’
Photos around the production
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| Pulp Festival, April 2018 |
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| Adèle with the Deputy Mayor of Paris (Feb 2019) |
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| A packed house for the opening night at the Montfort Theatre (Jan 2019) |
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| End of the season (April 2018) |
Images from the Production
I would love to see this production!
