Costumes & Characters
"As the summer solstice marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer,
the 1990s are announcing the arrival of the next millennium. The show is
a celebration of life, bridging the last bright years of this century and
the dawn of the next." — Dominique Lemieux, Costume Designer
Nouvelle Experience, which pits the Corporation against the Devils, evokes every
person's inner struggle between good and evil, light and dark, prudence and mischief.
The way our society is organized, it tends to stifle people's desires and to distance
them from important things such as love and dreams. This show's purpose is to remind
us all of life's essentials.
Dominque started out as a graphic artist and illustrator
of children's books, before being seduced away by the theater. When she
arrived at Cirque du Soleil in 1987, she worked with Michel Crête. Two years
later, she made a great leap, taking over all the costume design for this
new production. Her sketches gave birth to the colorful characters that
live in the show's universe. Whole families of characters flowed from her
drawings: the Devils drew their first breaths, while storytellers became
the "Flounes" and the Giants.
Dominique drew her inspiration from images and music of ancient and modern peoples, as
well as fantastical creatures. She came up with one of the "Flounes" costumes, for
example, while she was listening to Inuit chants. Their colorful costumes, with their
absurd onion-shaped trousers and puffy sleeves, include slashed jackets as well as ties
and belts drawn from the fashions of the Louis XIV era. Some costumes, made from lined
upholstery material, are very heavy. Weighing over 9kg, the Flounes' medieval-looking
outfits are made from a mix of lycra, velvet, and satin.
Dominique's palette includes colors, different for each family, that harmonize with
wood tones, since wood is omnipresent in the sets: ochres, oranges, turquoises,
crimsons, and purples. Ribbons, brocade, pompoms, frogging, velvet interlacing, buttons,
gilding, combinations of colors and patterns, rags and glitter also give texture to
the costumes. Interestingly, by combining the archaic and the modern, the medieval and
the futuristic, the highly theatrical costumes of Nouvelle Experience cannot be
pinned down or tied to any specific period. The characters, clothed in the colors of
sky and earth, come to life in a futuristic environment.
Flounes
The Flounes, (which combines the word "clown" and "flo", the Quebecois
slang for "child"), are the Angels of this world. These characters, cloaked in
browns and ochre's, are child-like; inquisitive, curious, and full of energy.
They are as if they are a lively breed of aliens approaching Earth for
a close encounter of the third kind. Once viewed, they do indeed seem
to be from another planet, their faces painted in vivid colors, their
clothing dyed with streaks and patches of gorgeous colors. They speak
in a gibberish not known to man but which, after a few minutes, becomes
intelligible; and they walk in stiff, spasmodic steps, as if adapting
themselves to the strange new terra on which they find themselves.
They are sometimes referred to as the "Nasty Clowns" due to their
unrefined emotional states, and yet they are central to the strings
that make up the universal tapestry.
The Devils
The Invaders of this world. Cloaked in reds, the Devils are
the spirit of disobedience.
Corporation
The Slaves of this world. Cloaked in blues, Coroporation
has their destinies controlled for them. (They are the house
troup). Together they conjure the fantastical displays of dreams,
wants and needs.
Madame Corporation
Queen of the Flounes (played by France La Bonté), she
is the epitome of control reigning supreme over the universe.
She rules over Corporation with the Grand Chamberlain.
Grand Chamberlain
The Grand Chamberlain (Brian Dewhurst) is the Ringmistresses'
(Madame Corporation's) right-hand man. Together they control
the destinies of all within the world of the Flounes.
Everyman (Clown)
Along for the journey is a man dressed in a suit who
represents any one of us - Mr. or Ms. Everybody.
He shows us our most profound fears and searches for authenticity
and sincerity. Using humor he asks many questions but the answers
are hard to deal with. The world is full of illusion and lies; of
emotions - love, hate, conflict and joy. He too is a trespasser
in this world of the "Flounes" as he experiences these emotions
and learns about life. Throughout the show the everyman embarks
on a journey. He starts as an adult, and ends up as
a child. In the process, he is empowered - and transformed.
A number of actors performed the role, including:
American clown David Shiner, a skinny beanpole of embattled comic
tics in floppy gray pants and short jacket who looks like nothing
so much as a collision between Harold Lloyd (an American actor, comedian,
director, producer, screenwriter, and stunt performer who is best known
for his silent comedy films) and Marcel Marceau's Bip (a French actor and
mime most famous for his stage persona as "Bip the Clown"), is immensely
gifted. Shiner pulls members out of the audience into his act ("The Film
Scene") like reluctant taffy that he cajoles, noodles, browbeats, and
finally spits out in the form of hilarious, brilliantly negotiated
routines. [He is the Everyman we see on the DVD.]
English-born Geoff Hoyle also performed this role for a time. Hoyle quickly
joined the tour on 24 hours' notice in San Diego (January 1991), replacing
David Shiner (after Shiner exercised an option to return to Europe - he would
be back later the same year). His contributions would differe from Shiners',
bringing over his "Mr. Sniff" character - an audience-participation routine
he created and performed at the Pickle Circus for a number of years - and
a show-stopping, three-legged man routine.
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