RHUM
RHUM & CIA
Teatre Lliure de Gràcia
from December 10 to January 10
Season 2015 - 2016
Last year it overwhelmed the box office of Teatre lliure and made us laugh at its bravery, and moved us to tears. It received the Zirkolika Award for the Best Clown Performance in 2014. It is Rhum, the tribute by Rhum i cia. to Joan Montanyès, and it returns to Teatre Lliure de Gràcia once again.
Joan Montanyès, aka ‘Monti,’ never finished this project about legendary clown Enrico Jacinto Sprocani, ‘Rhum.’ His friends from Monti & cia have brought it to fruition.
It’s been years since Rhum & Cia’s last performance, and the phone has stopped ringing. Their clowns are scraping by as best they can at the company headquarters. Until one fine day, when they get an unexpected call.
It’s Rhum. He’s got a gig. He’s found a gig…out of the blue!
The members of the company scramble to pull everything together: they dust off their props, brush off their costumes and rehearse the show that made them famous.
But they’ve got a problem: Rhum isn’t coming, and Auguste has disappeared.
And there’s another problem. There are two whiteface clowns in the company, and the ring is too small for so much wisdom.
One of the two is going to have to stop playing the clever clown and slap on a red clown nose.
“A clown and death, the great ugly mug, make a strange and disturbing couple. A combination that moves our soul. Creating a clown show about a death is a real challenge. Doing it about two of them is a marvellous piece of slapstick. (···) That, in the most beautiful and generous sense, is a description of Rhum, the great, emotional and hilarious tribute to Monti which a group of friends colleagues has orchestrated. The production (Zirkolika Prize 2014 for the best clowns show) runs at Christmas this season in a place as prone to wonders ('and one or two tifeta' as the clowns joke on stage) as the Teatre Lliure in Gràcia. (···) When Monti became ill he had been planning a show about Enrico Jacinto Sprocani (1904-1953), known as Rhum, a magnificent and renowned clown who worked with Pipo and who was a friend of Jacques Tati, no less. (···) The show, for all audiences, of course, is full of larks, slapstick, jokes, repetition, puns, classic entries, moments straight from Fellini (the parade with the drum, accordion and sax - 'Peppinu, blow the sax, sax!'), live music and even a very good imitation of the mayor Xavier Trias discussing the regulations covering the use of animals in the circus. (···) You laugh and laugh. While wearing a red nose. That's how clowns live and die.”
Jacinto Antón (El País)
RHUM
cast Guillem Albà /Joan Arqué / Roger Julià / Jordi Martínez / Pep Pascual
unconscious voice (off) Joan Montanyès Martínez ‘Monti’
directed by Martí Torras Mayneris
dramaturgy Martí Torras Mayneris, Joan Montanyès Martínez and Rhum i cia. / musical director Pep Pascual / original music Pep Pascual i Rhum i cia. / setting Sarah Bernardy and Martí Torras Mayneris / costumes Rosa Solé / lighting Quico Gutiérrez / sound Ramon Ciércoles / make up Toni Santos
director assistant Montse Tixé / setting assistant Jordi Larrea / costumes assistant Mireia Farré / choreography advisor Montse Colomé / technical director Xavier Xipell 'Xipi' /management Xavier Ribalaygua / management director Carles Manrique - Velvet Events / distribution Elena Blanco - Magnética
co-produced by Velvet Events and Grec 2014 Festival de Barcelona
with the support of the Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya
with the collaboration of the Nau Ivanow, the Teatre-Auditori Sant Cugat del Vallès, the Atrium Viladecans, the Ajuntament de Montmeló, Comediants, Focus Serveis de l’Espectacle, the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya and theTeatre Lliure
thanks to Ramon Simó, Joan Font, Guillem Jordi Graells, Tony Murchland, Sara Tibau, Nora Farrés, Benecé Produccions, Teatralnet, Albert Miret, Eva Parra, Two Points, Lupi Asensio, Martin Lorenz, Asier Bastida, Manuel Sala, Josep Aznar, Oriol Boixader 'Oriolo', Sergi Buka, Domènec de Guzmán, Fulgenci Mestres, Joan Valentí, Pau Sarraute, Marc Santa, Sergi Martínez and to the every clown, musicians, directors and friends which worked with Monti, and specially to the Monti & cia. members.
And a very special thanks to the complete family of Joan Montanyès Martínez.
circus show in Catalan, Spanish and Monti Language
length 1h. 30' no interval
follow #rhumicia on twitter / and on the Rhum i cia web site