WOMAD

Los Excéntricos

From France, Spain

There are three of them: Marceline, Sylvestre and Zaza. French and Catalan. Which makes no difference, because their homeland is the world. Spain, Great Britain, Poland, Germany, Canada, the United States, China, Japan… Los Excéntricos have already performed their shows across both old and new continents.Their career began on the road, travelling in both horse-drawn caravans - in the case of Zaza, with the Cirque Bidon from 1975 until 1988 – or in a pizza van, as in the case of Marceline as part of the female duo The Deep Sea Sisters from 1979 until 1983 - while Sylvestre toured with his puppets and a performing monkey called Rita, bringing him to the Circ Cric via the Col-lectiu d'Animació and the Hermanos Brothers between 1977 and 1982.In 1983, a meeting between the latter two led to the creation of the duo Marceline & Sylvestre. Clowns, jugglers and musicians, they toured with their visual and comic shows, shaped and influenced by encounters with their diverse international audiences, performing on the streets and squares of such varied destinations as the major European cities, the Vietnamese refugee camps in Hong-Kong or the universal exposition in Vancouver, Canada.In 1996 they received a special prize for "their ability to incorporate artistic innovations in the clown world", at the clown festival of Cornellá, for their show Rapsodia in clown. Meanwhile, Zaza, accompanied by his partners Anna Stromboni and Blanca, the performing hen, continued – always at a horse-drawn pace – to travel the rural roads of Italy, performing in the village squares where he would find such a source of inspiration.After 13 years of adventures, the Marceline & Sylvestre company changed its name in 1996 to Los Excéntricos with the arrival of Zaza, now a tightrope walker and, like his two companions, an eccentric clown and performer of improbable musical instruments The experiences of a travelling jester and the obstacles and opportunities thrown up by chance from street performances in different countries and scenarios have not only given them the opportunity to break with tradition but also a neverending source of inspiration and adventures.Their performances could well feature a musical handsaw played by a monster, an electric-bass mop, an oven-ready chicken and overcooked spaghetti accompanied by resounding slaps that beat out a chaotic rhythm, moving on to a robot, a home-madespeaking head, all of which have given rise to plots that constantly amaze the audience.After all these years of complicity with audiences on the streets, Los Excéntricos now fill theatres and cabarets around the world, making multitudes laugh by using the simple, warm and direct language of their comic and visual show "Música Maestro !"