On stage, there are the knights who say “ni”, the little killer white rabbit and the gallops punctuated by clashing coconuts. In the new version of Spamalotadaptation of the cult Holy Grail by Monthy Python, played since Saturday at the Théâtre de Paris, there are also “Instagraal” influencers, yellow vests and unleashed bigoudènes. And in the end, it is absurd humor that triumphs. Thirteen years after having delivered a first rereading of the work, Pierre-François Martin-Laval, alias PEF, went back to work to update the text. The result is bubbling with creativity and madness.
20 minutes met the author and actor, who once again plays King Arthur in this headless quest for the Grail.
At the end of the premiere, on Saturday, you declared that it was not obvious for you to relaunch yourself in a “Spamalot” adventure. For what ?
I didn’t feel like being away from Marseille, where I live with my family, for so long. When I’m on set, I come back every Friday and I never leave for more than eight weeks. In the theater, the goal is to play all year round. I told myself that it wasn’t possible, that I had to take my daughters to school, that I had to take care of them. My wife reminded me that they were never able to attend one of my shows and that they had to see their dad where he is happiest, on stage. So, we organized ourselves so that they would arrive on Friday evening in Paris, that I would leave on Sunday with them, that they would be there during the school holidays…
You have considerably revised the text compared to your previous version…
I shouldn’t rest on my laurels. It had triumphed at Bobino, but ten years have passed since then. Nothing was won in advance. Society has changed: what’s happening with social networks is crazy. Now, the real stars are the influencers, the promotional tool is the smartphone, people have to tell their lives… #MeToo, the yellow vests, the pandemic have been there, I also had to take them into account. I tried to integrate this naturally. Arnaud Ducret, at the time, made a parody of Olivier Besancenot, who was a postman. Now this reference no longer speaks to anyone. The character became a yellow vest. We wonder what speaks to people, we try things. Last night [dimanche]we tried a reference to Aya Nakamura…
Is it easy to convince the rights holders, notably Monty Python Eric Idle, author of the original libretto, to make such changes?
Thirteen years ago, it wasn’t easy, because we didn’t know each other. He has since seen the show and been complimentary. With Eric Idle, we started by talking through an agent or lawyer and, today, I am invited to his house, we do video sketches together… He called me on Saturday evening because he had a friend in the room for the premiere. He trusts me and I listen to him.
You’re making fun of influencers…
I satirize certain influencers, those who go to Dubai, have surgery and film themselves live. (In a very serious tone) I find it crazy, it revolts me. They, I don’t care, what outrages me is what they are doing to our children who are going to go and massacre their bodies because of these people thirsty for money who decree that a nice ass is looked like that and nothing else… In the evening, I prefer to laugh about it, but as a father, I find it dangerous.
When you wrote your previous adaptation, the “marriage for all” law had not yet been passed in France. Now, the union between two male characters in the show is legal.
At the time when Spamalot premiered on Broadway (New York) in 2004, it was quite courageous to show this marriage between homosexuals in the Middle Ages. One of the characters said: “Do you realize that in a thousand years this will still be controversial? » Except that, now, these marriages are legal. I find it super beautiful. I’m backstage when this line is spoken, I hold back tears. I find it super beautiful. It takes on another dimension. I allowed myself to transform the character into a prince. For some time now, we’ve been hearing more and more from children saying: “Stop thinking of me as a boy, maybe I’m a girl, maybe a boy, it’s not up to you to decide.” » I put it in the show and it worked well. I told myself that it was more interesting than doing it like back then when it looked like The Crazy Cage.
Besides, we don’t laugh at these characters, they are not the butt of the joke…
No, because the actor I chose [Vincent Escure] is very touching and does not make fun of his character. That was out of the question. It was clear that the one who is in the wrong is the father who is intolerant and violent. It’s not “Everyone thinks what they want”.
Was the casting easy to do?
No. It was a very powerful moment. We received 650 applications and I met 150 people. Today, thanks to The Voicehas [la société de production] Internship, at the Cours Florent musical comedy course… there are lots of people who know how to sing and lots of actors who know how to sing and dance. Everyone who plays in the ensemble must be able to replace one of the main roles at a moment’s notice, including during an act. So they all had to make me laugh as much as each other. I wanted people who had character, big mouths and, above all, beautiful souls. It sounds stupid to say that but, as I leave my family from Tuesday to Sunday, I don’t want to be with pain in the ass, people who are mean or who pull the rug out from under them. I want a troop where we help each other.
In the show, there are references to Robin Hood. Do the public still talk to you about your sketches from that time?
Yes, often. Especially thanks to RRRrrrr! which has been popular for ten years, there are children who are discovering the film. It’s also one of the first questions that journalists ask: could we reform? I’m touched. I always said I would love to play with the Robins again. More on stage – I wouldn’t like to go back to TV. I imagine a turntable, to change the scenery quickly and allow us to dress up quickly…
Are you still in regular contact with your former acolytes?
Of course ! We have our WhatsApp group, we say a lot of stupid things and every year I say “So, when are we doing this again?” » Mauritius [Barthélémy] immediately has an idea…
Something to add ?
I would like to say that it is a show for everyone, to see with children aged 10 and over. I would like the spectators to forget their problems for one evening. I want them to have fun from the moment they arrive. From 7:40 p.m., things are happening in the hall and in the room. So I would tell the public to come on time. In Paris, there is a nasty habit of arriving a little late. In the provinces, time is time.
Are you planning to play the show on tour or in a city residency? In Marseille, for example?
Production is working on it, I don’t have the answer yet, but I think it’s too heavy. There are two semi-trailers of sets, two hundred costumes… There are so many of us working on stage and behind the scenes that it would cost more to perform than what it would bring in.