The Andersen Project (Le projet Andersen) June 11, 2009

Written, directed and performed by Robert Lepage.
Having come to Paris at the behest of the Opéra Garnier, which has commissioned him to write the libretto for a children’s opera based on a fairy-tale by Hans Christian Andersen, a Québécois songwriter settles down in a friend’s apartment, rue Saint-Denis. During his stay, he necessarily meets people: one of the Opéra’s senior managers (a man with some odd and unusual likings), a young janitor and graffiti artist of North African descent, as well as a dog who could well be guiding the tale along its way

Freely inspired from two stories by Andersen (The Dryad and The Shadow) and from anecdotes drawn from the famed Danish author’s Parisian travels, the Andersen project calls on some of Lepage’s recurring themes: the confrontation of romanticism and modernism, of recognized and underground art forms, between past and present. However, in this new solo work, he also explores more troubling territories: questions about sexual identity, unfulfilled fantasies and a thirst for recognition and fame that are drawn from Andersen’s life and writings, only to serve as a filigree to the modern tale.

Once again, Lepage tells the story of a Québécois whose travels abroad and meetings with Others allow him to find out what defines, motivates and inspires him.

Official Website: http://www.robertlepage.com/