May 18, 2006 -

“By the sky above me and the earth under my feet, I looked out the windows in my head
and spied a ball without corners, perfectly round, bathed in the soft light of midnight.”
– Paul Vachon

Ottawa, Ontario -- Clown, acrobat, actor and musician Paul Vachon somersaults into Ottawa on May 27 and 28 with the fabulous Fabulations, his first and only one-man show. Created “in his own image” and premiered in 1995, this wonderful family show has toured across Canada, the United States and Mexico. Paul Vachon, world traveller and master of the art of clowning, is the founding artistic director (1974) of Quebec’s Théâtre de l’Aubergine (NAC audiences will remember their sprightly production of NWOLC, staged here in 2001). He also directed Cirque du Soleil’s Nouvelle Expérience in Las Vegas (1992–93) and regularly teaches performance workshops for such groups as the acclaimed Cirque du Monde. In Fabulations he conjures up a whole gallery of colourful, engaging characters: Bulle, the itinerant storyteller; his double, Faux-Nez (“the little man within the man”); and the ancient Pépère, the cheery Aunt Imelda, the irascible Uncle l’Tit, and the Grand Master of the Universe. Entertaining allegory, parable about love, a feast for the eyes and ears, a delightful blend of laughter and poetry—Fabulations is all that and more!

The storyteller and his false-nosed double

Faux-Nez (it’s no coincidence that his name sounds like “phony”) is a strange little fellow: he doesn’t like the daytime or the sun—he likes only the moon. If he could, he’d hang onto it so that it wouldn’t leave him when the sun comes up. Which, of course, would have cosmic (and comic) consequences . . . In this irresistible one-man show, Paul Vachon combines physical, verbal and musical acrobatics to conjure up a host of improbable characters. He truly embodies the great Russian clown Leonid Yengibarov’s definition: “A clown is an artist who can do anything.”

“The one-man show Fabulations is back after a long journey. . . . The story, the structure and the general feel of the show haven’t changed. It’s still a wonderful example of clown theatre; it still has that light-hearted quality, that sense of innocence and gentle subversion that attract us from the very start to the bumbling, well-meaning figure of the clown. . . . Paul Vachon really knows the tricks of the circus trade, and how to draw his young audience right into the heart of the show.”

– Jean St-Hilaire, Le Soleil (Quebec), October 8, 2004

“Fabulations is sure to capture the hearts of young and old alike. . . . Paul Vachon gives a marvellously beautiful performance. . . . Simple yet impressive, funny yet touching, the show is first-class in every way, from the quality of the performance to the sets and costumes to the lyrical atmosphere. . . . Paul Vachon is engaged and passionate, and it’s clear that he really enjoys performing for young audiences. His generosity is delightful, his intuition and sense of poetry truly moving.”

– Magali Paquin, MonThéâtre.qc.ca, October 9, 2004

“Fabulations is well and truly a love story between a clown and an audience.”

– Pascal Evans, Radio-Canada Television, October 11, 2005

Fabulations
Created and performed by Paul Vachon
Written and directed by Richard Aubé
Original score composed by Pierre Potvin and Paul Vachon
Set design by Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt
Costume design by Line Bussière
Lighting design and stage management by Sébastien Bélanger
Production direction by Josette Déchène
Produced by Théâtre de l’Aubergine (Quebec, QC)

Saturday,May 27 at 13:30
and Sunday, May 28 at 13:30 and 15:30
in the NAC Studio

Tickets: $11.50 (children and adults)
On sale at the NAC Box Office, 53 Elgin Street (no service charges), through Ticketmaster (at all Ticketmaster outlets or by ‘phone, 613-755-1111) or online at www.nac-cna.ca

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For more information, please contact:
Guy Warin
Communications and Media Relations Officer
French Theatre - Canada’s National Arts Centre
(613) 947-7000 or 1 866 850-2787, ext. 759
gwarin@nac-cna.ca