La vie est une fête

Some people still remember Les Chiens de Navarre’s caustic humour with Les armoires normandes (2016) in Montreal and Ottawa. The party continues this year as the troupe tosses us from a political assembly to a psychiatric emergency ward—a delusional trip into humanity’s downward spiral. No one will be left standing by the mirthful rage of this tornado-of-a-show, which knocked down audiences throughout its whirlwind tour across Europe.

Seven untameable performers and their fearless leader, Jean-Christophe Meurisse, are set loose on stage. Before our disbelieving eyes, they unwrap a series of scenic tableaux, half-planned and half-improvised, that are raw, cruel and hilarious all at once. The trivial flirts with tragedy; a banal story of a woman absurdly objectified by plastic surgery is juxtaposed with the horror of discovering that the vending machine in the employee break room is still out of order! The layers of our private and shared lunacy play out against the backdrop of huge windows revealing the inside and outside of an apocalyptic party… that no one was really invited to.

From this ferocious satire, a deep-rooted question emerges like an escapee from Pandora’s box: Is one person’s neurosis just a small symptom of the overwhelming hysteria of our world today? At least, laughter is still the best medicine.

The show is restricted to audiences aged 14 and over.
Content advisory warning ›

Director’s Note — Jean-Christophe Meurisse

« Yes, we suffer because of Mom and Dad (Tout le monde ne peut pas être orphelin), but we also suffer because of the state of the world.

We inevitably absorb violence, crises, political and social contradictions, and the brutal shifts of our civilization. The small madnesses of our time can fuel the greater madness of an individual, and the need for consolation can quickly become impossible to satisfy, as our good old Dagerman would say. Can we all lose our minds? What holds us back? There is nothing more human than madness.

The psychiatric emergency ward is one of the few places that welcomes anyone at any time, regardless of age, gender, or nationality. A deeply tangible place for those who have veered off course. A threshold of humanity. »

About Les chiens de Navarre

Founded in 2005 by Jean-Christophe Meurisse, the French theater company Les Chiens de Navarre is known for its bold and irreverent approach to contemporary theater. Their work, largely based on improvisation, explores social themes with biting humor and boundless energy. Their productions, often structured around zany vignettes, blend brutality, poetry, comedy, and emotion, offering audiences a truly unique theatrical experience.

Notable creations include Une raclette (2009), Quand je pense qu’on va vieillir ensemble (2013), Tout le monde ne peut pas être orphelin (2019), and La vie est une fête (2022). The company receives support from the DRAC Île-de-France and the Île-de-France Region as part of the Permanence Artistique et Culturelle program.