It is as if she were returning, after a beautiful journey, to her Ithaca. Laure Grandbesançon, creator of the podcast The Odysseys, adapts the audio adventures of its historical characters, to the stage. At the Free Theater in Paris, she recounts the adventures of Jeanne Barret, the first woman to circumnavigate the world, Howard Carter, discoverer of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the three astronauts of the Apollo 13 mission.
For those who don’t know The Odysseys, you have to imagine stories of a quarter of an hour, extremely lively and set to sound with dynamism and humor. For three years, the success has been colossal for these podcasts intended for children, but listened to with pleasure by parents.
The voice in the sails
The key to the success of Odysseys is undoubtedly the direction of the narration of their creator, Laure Grandbesançon, who swells with her high-pitched and extremely expressive voice, the sails of adventure. “Before the radio, I did theatre, it’s anchored in me. And the theatrical dimension of Odysseys, it is there from the beginning. »
Whether she recounts the motionless odyssey of Robinson Crusoe, the scientific discoveries of Marie Curie or the adventures of Sinbad, Laure Grandbesançon always does so with great fanfare of narrative and incredible sleight of hand. “From the start of Odysseys, I wanted the sound imprint to be extremely strong. I wanted to impress the children, for them to be really scared, for there to be twists and turns, suspense. In short, it should be as rich as what is offered to adults. »
X-ray of an adventure
The success of the podcast has allowed a book version (the second volume, splendid, has just been published by Les arènes) and, now, with a show until January 1, 2023. “Things came one after the other, quite simply. We launched the podcast in June 2019, and it was not badly taken… Then there was the book adaptation, and now the show, here it is” says Laure Grandbesançon with much less emphasis than when it comes to narrate the adventures of others.
However, this odyssey deserves attention. “I went to several theater schools, for eight years, I played in all of these companies. The radio ? It happened by chance. I was playing Hernani with a Hernani company, we did an interview in a web radio. It was the first time I spoke into a microphone, and it was a revelation, it was super strong. I felt in my element. Then, I had the chance to do an internship at France Inter, with Eva Bester, for the summer show Remedy for melancholy. It was amazing. Writing, editing, recording tracks… I loved everything about radio. »
“I want there to be too many!” »
The return of Odysseys to the scene is therefore quite natural. “The link between theater and radio, I’ve been working on it for a long time. The radio is a stage for me, and moreover, with this show, we keep a bit the same device as the podcast, but with the public in addition, and two or three other things…”, laughs Laure Grandbesançon.
The “other stuff” is a staging and numbers of actors, with a circus tendency. “Radio France contacted several theater producers. Charlotte Saliou brought the Le Roux circus into the adventure. It’s very ambitious and very beautiful, its staging. She also has clown training… This show joins the bulimia of Odysseys, which I see as something super generous, with food to drink. It’s like for the books, where I wanted lots of different illustrators. With Les Odyssées, I want there to be too many! »
33 towers and around the world
In addition to “too much”, The Odysseys brings something new to a landscape saturated with podcasts and other audio story boxes for children. “I know that the offer is plethoric, analyzes Laure Grandbesançon. But there is a traditional connection between children and sound. I grew up with the Little Prince CD, others are Marlène Jobert’s LPs. With The Odysseys, I went on the side of radio soap operas, these formats. »
And above all, Laure Grandbesançon campaigns for diversity. “The three adventures we selected for the show are fairly representative. There is the adventure of a woman who pretends to be a man to go around the world, and who says something about the history of women. And then pof, we shiver when we discover the tomb of Tutankhamun, which was our first episode of the podcast and the one that aroused the most reactions. And bam, we’re off to Apollo 13, with a very strong dramatic stake. Women, different eras and continents, great destinies and collective adventures… I need all that to The Odysseys. »