“I used to be a Tour de Force – Now I’m forced to tour!”
In the latest production of The Phil Willmott Company, we flash back to the “naughty nineties” (1890s) in Paris where the Orpheus Theatre Troupe lives through ups and downs as company members join and quit, and the bankers have the power to ban performances in the whole city. Indeed, after the rich Monsieur Bontoux decides to close down the Orpheus, the troupe goes to the provinces to continue their art. In the meantime, Jane, the star of the show, leaves the troupe to marry Bontoux’s son, only to find out that a life outside the theatre is not worth living.
“Can-Can” is a joyful and comedic musical with music by Jacques Offenbach and his contemporaries and loosely based on a plot by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, adapted by Phil Willmott. I have to admit this wasn’t really my style: while the dancing was beautiful, the show lacked depth and true provocation. Then again, we are asked to transpose ourselves in a time when what was shocking really isn’t now: the decision to live a life of uncertainty through the arts, homosexuality, and revealing corsets.
