Christoph Marthaler Aucune idée

How do we set about looking into the phenomena of the lacuna? No idea, replies Christoph Marthaler, who proves, however, in a humorous, delightful show performed by the actor Graham Valentine and the cellist Martin Zeller, that he has a few words to say on the subject, as evasive as it may be.

It should be there. Definitely. But for some strange reason, it is not there. Is it about a word, a piece of information, an essential detail, or something else, or anything? Who knows? In truth, it can take on a host of different shapes and sizes. Occasionally, they leave us speechless. Imagine an actor who has forgotten his text, for example. Or a lecturer who loses the thread of what he is lecturing on… Lacunas have a habit of lying in wait around every corner. And often we do not even notice them. Which leads Christoph Marthaler to drawing up the following conclusion: the lacuna, a phenomena which is as recurrent as it is widespread, does not allow itself to be easily apprehended and thus we must treat it with caution. Which is exactly what this latest production sets out to do. With his long-term collaborator, Graham Valentine, they look into the origins of the lacuna, ask themselves whether it appears in isolation rather than in number, carry out tests based on the sense of smell and taste, and examine its hereditary characteristics. In the course of their investigations, they make use of all possible languages and registers. And, of course, music, performed on the cello and viola da gamba by Martin Zeller.