Le Fou, meaning madman, is a play inspired by Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist Kahlil Gibran’s The Madman.
Le Fou, by Tunisian theatre company El Teatro, mesmerised the audience at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) with its captivating visual composition and technical expertise.
Le Fou, meaning madman, is a play inspired by Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist Kahlil Gibran’s The Madman.
Taoufik Jebali, the director of the play and the founder of the El Teatro, says visuals, colours and imagery used in the play were inspired by the paintings of Kahlil Gibran. Light, music, dance and animation were delicately synchronised to deliver one of the most appreciated visual treats at the festival.
“The purpose was to create an illusionary world, to feel the madness and freedom of Gibran’s work. As Gibran tells us madness is the first step towards unselfishness,” says the 80-year-old Jebali.
The subtle movements of the beautiful actors created the mood for the aesthetically refined and profoundly spiritual work. Three comedians, who read the text, took the viewers to the realm of spirituality. The music, a fusion of Moroccan Sufi and Hindustani with the accompaniment of tabla and sitar, took the audience to another world. The use of light and darkness were also stunning.
The central theme of the play revolves around the duality of good and evil in human life. By emphasising both sound and silence, Le Fou delves into concepts such as freedom, emancipation, loneliness, and terrorism from the perspective of a madman.
Multiple interpretations
“The intensity of the poem The Madman allowed us to interpret it in different ways and in different shades at each stage. None of the performances were the same. Each time it evolved with the changing times,” says the veteran director, whose company had made 150-odd productions so far. “But My best is yet to come,” he said with a huge smile.
Defiant in the face of conventional education, Jebali’s youth was marked by a quest for alternatives. He worked in France and established a centre for spreading Arab Culture in France. Jebali, an emblematic figure of Theatrical revival in Tunisia, established the theatre group El Teatro in 1987.
The play Le Fou was extremely abstract, allowing the audience to unravel the codes according to their sensitivity. Though the tone was subtle, the message was sharp: the need for a voice to regain humanity and tolerance. A voice against authoritarianism and exclusion. That is a prophetic voice, a spiritual voice, the voice of a madman, the voice of Kahlil Gibran.
