Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show will make its Australian debut exclusively at Brisbane Festival at the end of the month. We chatted with Fanny Coindet, Associate Director of the show.
Fanny Coindet, you’re the Associate Director for the production Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show which is making its Australian debut at Brisbane Festival at the end of this month. I think you’ve got a dance background. How has that training helped you in the Associate Director role? Have you got theatre or other training as well?
Yes, I trained in physical comedy with Philippe Gaulier and I also studied dance. So yes, it does help in the show because the show is very movement-based, there’s a lot of choreography, so it’s important to be able to appreciate dance when you’re doing castings and so on. It’s something, it’s a tool. The show is very multidisciplinary and it’s a tool that comes up a lot: movement, dance. So it’s very helpful, it makes a lot of things easier to be able to manage this medium.
And how long have you been in this role? From the beginning ?
I started in mid 2019.
And the show started in 2018?
We opened at the end of 2018.
In fact, I was in Paris at the time but was unable to go so I was very excited to see it is coming to Australia. What does your role in the production consist of?
I’m in charge of casting new artists, integrating them into the show and adapting the show to the venue, to the conditions as we’re touring, we don’t always have the same conditions so I’m in charge of adapting to the space. And I’d say that my main role is to keep the soul of the show and the soul of Jean Paul’s creation as he wanted it during the creation.
Yes, he was the one who wrote it. And he was very involved in the creation of the show.
He oversaw the whole project. And he did a lot of work with the team, obviously. But yes, he’s very involved, it’s about his life, so yes.
Is he still actively involved with the newcomers, or not any more?
Yes, absolutely! He comes to casting. He’s always very involved, he always gives his opinion. For him, it’s very important to choose the actors and dancers in the show.
How did the show come about? I imagine it was his idea.
It was his dream to do a revue at the Folies Bergères. It’s something he explains during the show, or at least that we understand during the show. It was his dream and it became a reality when he collaborated with Thierry Suc, the French producer who has produced a lot of big stars. And that meeting made Jean Paul’s dream of doing a revue at the Folies Bergères come true.
What did you learn or enjoy most about our roles?
I learnt a lot. First of all because it’s a very big show, so there are a lot of things to manage. It’s huge. You don’t really realise it, you just come and see. But the whole process of getting to what you’re about to see is super impressive. It’s a war machine.
So yes, I’ve learnt a lot from being part of this project. On the human side too, you learn a lot about how to manage a team, the cast and so on. It’s really interesting from a human point of view, you meet some incredible people and you learn a lot about the technical side of things. There are some really interesting technical elements, so there’s a lot to discover as you go along.
It was really great and I think my favourite part was getting to see the new artists on stage and seeing them make their debuts. It’s really rewarding. It’s the result of hard work, teamwork, so it’s very, very, very rewarding!
And are the artists moreso dancers or models?
I think it takes a bit of both. But you can see that it’s more the dancers. Because when you have to integrate a dancer, you don’t have an indefinite time either. So the people who join us have to be capable.
And is there just one person who plays Mr Gaultier?
Yes, at the moment it’s Max Cookward, a brilliant British dancer. But we also have understudies in case anything happens. We have two understudies who are always ready.
But when it was performed in France, was it an all-French cast?
The person who played Jean Paul when we performed in France is called Patric Kuo, and he’s Australian.
Of course!
Exactly. But that’s just it, it’s a small world, everything’s connected. And then there were various other Jean Pauls because of tour dates and so on, life, the schedule meant that sometimes we changed teams. But you always have to have that little Jean Paul Gaultier soul inside you.
That’s great. What can audiences expect from the show?
To leave with a lot of energy, a great deal of good humour and a lot of power. The audience is going to see a high-energy show with incredible dancers, models and singers. You can’t really expect anything. It’s a very hybrid show. It’s not like anything we’ve seen before. After all, it’s very unique and that’s really its strength. And what I like best of all is to see the audience at the end, standing on their feet, applauding and dancing their way out, telling each other they want to party, they want to hug each other, they want to fall in love. It’s pretty cool.
But in what way is the show a freak show?
I think it’s a freak show because in essence, in Jean Paul Gaultier’s DNA to some extent, it was always about not being purely mainstream, but always being innovative, in tune with the times, challenging codes and turning them on their head and rewriting them. So, naturally, that’s why it’s called the Fashion Freak Show, because he’s someone who has always shaken up codes, introduced new things, opened the door to so many things. So there you have it, I think.
Because it gives you an idea in your head. You wonder whether the people in it are going to be a bit weird?
There’s a bit of that. Marion Motin’s choreography is very original, very powerful and also very unique. It’s not the kind of choreography we’re used to seeing. The costumes are absolutely crazy. There are things from the archives and things that were created for the show. So that’s really quite exceptional. And then to have a designer use his archives for a show where people sweat and change very quickly, that’s pretty exceptional. So yes, I think there’s a lot that’s a bit freaky about this show.
Was the title ‘Fashion Freak Show’ translated into French?
No, it was still called Fashion Freak Show.
And the show looks at 50 years of pop culture through the eyes of fashion’s enfant terrible, Mr Gaultier, of course. Has the show been updated since it started? It’s now been six years since the show was created.
Yes, and it was originally created to be performed at the Folies Bergères. And then, when the desire arose to go on tour, the production called on director Simon Phillips, who is Australian, I think.
There are Australians everywhere!
Yes, he remodelled the show to give it a bit more of a storyline, to make it easier to tour, to have a set design that met international standards. So yes, I think it was 2021 or 2022. I’m a bit confused about the dates…
After the lockdowns and all that.
Yes, exactly. I got a bit lost in the dates, but yes, the show has been rethought, has been redone, the soundtrack is also often updated. Sometimes it’s even adapted to the place we’re going. For example, when we toured in England, Jean Paul absolutely wanted the Boy George character to be there, so the Boy George character and the Boy George songs stayed. So it’s a show that’s constantly evolving and that’s written in its time.
And which musical artists can be heard in the show?
There are many, but incredible artists like Nile Rogers, Madonna, Prince George, Amy Winehouse, Catherine Ringer and many others.
For the show at the Brisbane Festival, Mr Gaultier worked with an Australian artist, Grace Lillian Lee. How did this collaboration come about?
I think it was something that came from the Festival itself to have a collaboration with an Australian artist. And the collaboration began more or less from a distance, with them exchanging ideas about how the project was going to work. Then they met in Paris, where Grace showed her work. They talked and exchanged ideas. They had a working meeting to get to know each other’s directions, talk about technical things and then artistic things too.
It was a really great meeting and they got on really well, and Jean Paul was delighted and super happy that it was Grace. He really liked her work and the piece she came to present to him. He immediately said “Oh, she could already be in the show”, so that was really something. There was a real mutual connection which was very, very nice to see.
And following this meeting, Grace worked on the prototypes and was in contact, I think, with the costume designer Debbie. And now we’re going to try on her costume. I haven’t seen anything yet. I think we’ll find out when we get to Brisbane, it’s going to be great.
And will the costume Grace has created be used in shows after Australia or only in Australia?
No, I think it’s a collaboration that really wants to endure over the long term and integrate this encounter into the show. Grace’s creation fits in really well with one of the acts and it’s also an act that talks about the vision of the future, Jean Paul Gaultier’s vision of the future, so integrating a collaboration with an artist, really fits in with his creative logic, what he does with his fashion house, having different artistic directors and so on. So it’s a collaboration that’s destined to be long-term, I think.
You said that it was the Brisbane Festival that proposed this collaboration. Has it already done this for other artists in other countries?
Yes, in different ways. But yes, collaboration is something that’s very present in the show. When we were at the Folies Bergères, artists like Catherine Ringer, Rossy de Palma and Dita von Teese came and performed with us for a week or two. So yes, to be flexible.
In Japan too, we’ve had Japanese artists perform in the show. So yes, there’s always this kind of “doors are open” and you want to share this moment with the people you’re visiting.
It’s incredible for the artists too. I think this will open doors internationally for Grace Lillian Lee.
It really will. Yes, she was really passionate and thrilled about it. I can’t wait to see this collaboration live on stage.
There is also a film about or related to the show that I haven’t yet had a chance to watch. Tell us a bit about that.
If you mean the documentary that was shot when we were preparing the show? I remember Yann used to come and film us. He started filming and following us from the very beginning of the conception, meeting Nile Rogers and so on. So yes, it’s really a film that follows the whole adventure and really gives you a taste of what it’s like to do a show like this, what it’s like to collaborate with Jean Paul, which gives you a taste of all the collaborations he’s done with Madonna, the role she’s played in his life, and so on. So it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it, but I remember it was a very, very interesting documentary.
Brisbane Festival will also screen the documentary, but only once. How many people are on stage during the production?
There are 19 people on stage and about double or triple that number behind the scenes.
Yes, backstage because I imagine you need a lot of people for the costumes.
Yes, exactly. All the hair and make-up preparation and then all the technical stuff, sound, lighting and so on. So it’s a really big team.
And who do you think will enjoy the show the most?
It’s a bit hard to say because I think it’s a multi-generational show. I see older people coming out of the show, so happy because they’ve just relived their last 50 years in music, visuals, etcetera. I see young people coming out of the show and being overwhelmed by so much freedom and questioning. I really see all kinds of audiences. I’d say that maybe before the age of twelve or thirteen, I don’t know if it’s particularly suitable, but in any case, yes, I think it’s aimed at all people who want to spend a moment of freedom, to have a taste of freedom and love. And I think it’s a pretty universal show.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Well, come and see us, because we love it when we’re packed with people who want to be there? We’ve got lots and lots to give. We’ve got a brand new team. Every time we go somewhere, it’s very unique. It’s a completely hybrid show. There’s a form of performance, singing, comedy, dance, a bit of acrobatics, circus. It’s sexy, it’s poetic and it’s about love, which doesn’t hurt at the moment.
That’s for sure. Thank you so much!
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We’d like to thank Fanny Coindet for this interview and look forward to seeing Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show at Brisbane Festival.
KEY INFO FOR JEAN PAUL GAULTIER’S FASHION FREAK SHOW
WHAT: Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show
WHEN: 30 August to 15 September (except Mondays)
WHERE: South Bank Piazza, 186 Little Stanley Street, South Brisbane
HOW: Buy your tickets via this link
HOW MUCH: Ticket prices range from $89 to $149
The documentary Jean Paul Gaultier: Freak & Chic will also screen at Brisbane Festival followed by a panel discussion “about daring to dream big and push boundaries.”
Sunday 8 September, 1:30pm film screening + 1 hour panel discussion post film
Tickets cost $25 and include a drink. Purchase yours via this link
Will you be going to see Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show in Brisbane?
For other events related to France and the Francophonie taking place in Australia this month, check out our What’s on in August article.
