During the day, they are people of a mature age in suits. But another life begins at night. That’s when the disguise is stripped off and soon, scene by scene, extravagant personalities in fantastic robes start to blossom. Gardenia is a celebration of travesty, a dream of metamorphosis, entirely to Alain Platel of Le ballets C de la B fame’s taste, who co-directs this piece with Frank Van Laecke. They were prompted by the Dutch documentary Yo soy así from the year 2000 – an atmospheric tribute to a transgender club called ‘La Bodega Bohemia’ in Barcelona, which was about to be closed down at the time. In 2010, Van Laecke and Platel assembled a group of exquisite travesty artists, who would have been a perfect fit for the bodega, around comedian and performer Vanessa Van Durme, and the world premiere of Gardenia turned out to be a moment of glory for the theatre. Now the audience has the opportunity to see this gem again, featuring almost the entire original cast: once again, these heroines of queer culture present themselves with all their charm to music from Tomás Méndes’ Cucurrucucú Paloma to Ravel’s Bolero.
Premiere of the Restaging
Duration: 110 Minutes
