The goal: to present
Jacques Brel's music, life and thoughts in a direct, minimalist,
intimate way. Carefully crafted and exquisitely interpreted, Cedric Vandenschrik and Stella
Konik have proved irrevocably the timelessness and relevance of
Brel's work.
The
setting: a pianist and a singer, exposed to the audience. Cedric's
Belgian background is a variable that does not go unnoticed, since
Brel was himself Belgian. This allows him to dive into the Brel
Character and expose its most intimate aspects.
The songs: Brel's songs are masterful descriptions of everyday situations, tying
eternal emotional links with bitter sweet characters in
“Marike”, “Les Bourgeois”, “The old Folks” and many more. Many of the songs are sung in the original French, but the clever
script combined with a smattering of songs in English allows non-French
speakers to understand and enjoy the full meaning of the performance, bringing them closer to the true essence of Brel.
The result:"a show of lyrical power and beauty" (Barry Ronge, theatre critic, The Star Tonight)