Richly costumed figures, heavily laden with ornaments, process through the crowd, sweeping the spectators along in their wake.

This free adaptation of the myth of Faust and Mephistopheles for the street is told through short scenes interspersed with visual and choreographed sequences. A performance of ritual, music and mystery with poetic texts performed by stiltwalking actors through urban spaces recomposed with pyrotechnic light.

Actor-stiltwalkers and pyrotechnicians perform with voice, music, spacial manipulation and large movements within the crowd. Highly dramatic scenes evolve in extremely varied urban contexts.

Texts are adapted from Goethe, Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Mann.

Music by Alfred Schnittke, Philip Glass, Kevin Volans, Ghédalia Tatzartes and traditional Armenian.

This show has been presented and performed all over the world, often at the opening or closing of festivals:

Mephistomania has been presented at festivals in France and abroad, including Washington DC, Cayenne, London LIFT Festival, The National Theatre, Edinborough Hogmanay, Paris,  New York, Athens and the Perth International Festival in Australia. It was also presented at the Nice Carnival, the Printemps des Comédiens in Montpelier and received First Prize from the public at the “Juste Pour Rire” festival in Montreal 2000. In 2000, it also opened the Molières ceremony in Paris.

ÉQUIPE & TOURNÉE

Artistic direction : Pascal Laurent & Sarah Harper
Mise en scène : Sarah Harper
Costumes : Anne et Chino
Distribution à la création : Pascal Laurent, Philippe Martz, Michèle Bernard, Dorli Habicht, Laurent Desflèches
Pyrotechnics : Stéphane Blanchard, Nordine Hassani
Sound technician : Winoc Swingedauw
Production : Agnès Michelet

Members of the show's various casts on tour:
Marjorie Laurent, Marie Christine Bento, Jack Souvant, Florence Boutet de Monvel, Pierre Lenczner , Schahan Berberian, Marlène Forsberg, Patrick Frapeau, Jean-Pierre Billaud, David Boutin, Sylvia Moreno, François Nicolas, Beatriz Gallizo Espes, Nicolas Soloy, Vincent Saint Loubert Bie, Anne Orsoni, Cécile Leneveu, Karine Weider, Olivier Salomon.

Pyrotechnicians : Pascal Leguennec, Kamel Abdelli, Frank Auricoste, Christophe Bras, Liazid Khimoun, Agustin Perez

Technicians : Yann Lehérissé, Emmanuel Aufort, Guillaume Patissier

Photography : Yiannis Alevroyiannis

Video : Richard Brauner