OPENING NIGHT at Vaudeville

Opening Night is a contemporary vaudeville show, in which an aging performer (Mark Tompkins) and his young protégé (Mathieu Grenier) speak to us of the universal themes of life, love and death through their tragicomic song-and-dance numbers. At first, the performance appears to be merely entertainment, but slowly an ambivalent and moving story becomes visible, about the difficult transmission between a Star in decline and his gifted protégé, ready for anything to succeed. The alchemy that takes place between these two showmen achieves another level of depth. In this world, to win one’s legitimate place or to surrender one’s place humbly and without regrets are the true themes of Opening Night.

Mark Tompkins is a dancer, choreographer and teacher, born in the US and living in France for over 40 years. He founded the Company I.D.A. in 1983, and performed worldwide with his productions.