Sunglasses on the nose, tight jeans and white tank top glued to the body, the Queen a man pay homage to Freddie Mercury, who died 30 years ago to the day. In their own way, these eight artists bring all the energy of Queen’s iconic singer into a majorette show. They celebrate the beast of the stage that was Freddie Mercury, by mixing stick and rock. A somewhat crazy project which saw the light of day thanks to the imagination of Cécile Le Guern, captain of this merry band from
Abbaretz, town located north of Nantes.
The idea for this male majorettes show was born one night in November 2019. “I woke up one morning, after multiple insomnia, with the idea of working on the majorettes with men,” says the native of Brittany. . “I wanted street theater. I wanted something that fart, that there are many ”. His unusual project echoes the movie theaters Bohemian rhapsody and The Great Bath, in 2018.
“We felt like rock stars”
Men who practice a reputed feminine activity to pay homage to Mercury: the Queen A Man were born. The mustache team is formed. Seven men from the world of street entertainment and the circus train for nearly a year in the practice of stick twirling. “Just turning the stick, the thing would fall every two minutes at the beginning”, remembers Olivier, member of the troop. To manage the choreography of its show, the troupe surrounds itself with a big name in the person of Eric Martin, dancer, choreographer, member of the company of Philippe Découflé, director of the Albertville Olympic Games ceremony in 1992.
A collective adventure which culminated last June, on the first of the 27 dates of the Loire-Atlantique group. A six-month tour, especially in the Great West, which conquered its spectators and marked the cheerleaders with slicked back hair. “The first time, there were almost 1,000 people. It was electric. We finished the show, we felt like rock stars! », Remembers Cécile. The result of the power released by Queen’s pieces, punctuated by the choreography of the troupe. “We want to transcribe this festive side, generous, funny too, that had Freddie Mercury, continues the captain. You put Queen in the street, everyone knows. Freddie Mercury would have been 75 today. This is also how I learned that my mother-in-law adored him! “
Queen a man: Teaser December 2020 from Francois Guillement we Vimeo.
“Originally, it was a bit barge”
Freddie Mercury still represents many facets of our company and its history. Child of British colonization, homosexual and dead of AIDS… “We had die-hard fans who came to the show. And they tell us: He would have loved it! Some have cried, it causes emotion in these fans. Because we bring it back to life. This is not a parody. I always wanted it to be a tribute, with fun ”. Farrokh Bulsara, the original name of the singer of Queen, would certainly have appreciated this daring. “It’s great to see men who dare like that! You wouldn’t imagine seeing them playing the cheerleader and transforming into Freddie Mercury when you watch them. »Cécile Le Guern and her team are back for a second tour from next April. “We can tell ourselves that originally, it was a bit crazy to start at eight with guys who have never played a cheerleader. There is a lot of things wrong ”.
Freddie Mercury’s famous shortened mic stand is now the stick of the Queen A Man. In the incarnation, they express their share of femininity. Without adding more. “We are pot-bellied forties who play cheerleaders! », Says Olivier. “We try to do it well, and people tell each other what they want afterwards. It’s not a militant show, but you can see a lot of things there, ”says Olivier.
Cyrille, another member of the group, adds: “The challenge was tough, with the stake not to fall into parody, to release something which is at the height of this personality”. Proof of the success of Queen A Man, around 40 dates are scheduled for 2022. The show must go on.