• LE CABARET ROCK • Official Nirvana Studios show. Always extravagant and without boundaries, Le Cabaret Rock is mind-blowing and pure dynamite on stage. Absolutely surprising, with doses of madness, parody and explosive poetry detonated by the irreverent troupe that created this fantastic theatrical imaginary. This must-see has been institutionalized at the Teatro Custom Café since 2012 and has already attracted more than 100,000 cosmopolitan spectators. Multipolar and so unusual that it is never presented in the same way, because each night is unique. The aftershow is marked by a New Wave, Rock & Dark Wave DJ set. His original music and dramaturgy have given rise to 4 record albums, a literary series of novels, a TV Special documentary and art exhibitions. His imagery and content have been integrated into various media, television programs, festivals, music videos, exhibitions and institutional events, as well as cultural and artistic crossovers. MEDIA QUOTES "For free spirits" – Forbes “The one and only thanks to their original culture ” - Time Out "Stage beasts" - FHM "Where a dose of madness reigns in an explosion of senses" - Happy "It’s a unique show" – Vip "In street theater or on stage, always crazy!" - Visão "Surreal cabaret" - Activa "Totally crazy but unforgettable" - Sol "Surrealists of heart and soul" - Expresso "Custom made Burlesques" - Jornal i "A chain of crazy stories" - Caras "Apocaliptic shows" - DN LE CABARET ROCK - THE STORY ORIGINS The evolution of Custom Circus (CC) is divided into 2 phases: the 1st from 1996 to 2012 and the 2nd from 2012 to present. In the 1st phase they consolidated themselves on the road for 17 years. At that time, in parallel with their structure of corporate roadshows in Europe and the USA, CC created a nomadic theatrical convoy formed by post-apocalyptic trucks (one of these Steampunk vehicles remains in Portugal, resulting of its integration in the collection of the National Railway Museum in 2020). Back in 2002 this fleet that they called Rock'n'Roll Train stretched into a convoy of 30 custom vehicles (hence the 1st part of the troupe's name). In that period, they lived on their explosive shows and the surreal parties that followed. Their tours attracted an alternative audience as well as bold corporates. The Rock'n'Roll Train forged 2 main shows: Full Moon and Theater on Wheels. Both unfolded in a post-apocalyptic arena: the circus (the 2nd part of the troupe's name). These 2 productions traveled preferentially on the more touristic Iberian coast, where they made the most of their arena. Although, also hired in other latitudes, they started realizing that they needed Headquarters. Something vast enough to accommodate their fleet. Thus, they intended to buy an abandoned lot at a reasonable price - perhaps a farm or an old factory - Or, as it turned out, a ruined army fort: Nirvana Studios would hence spring in 2003. After 6 years of existence divided into nomadic seasons or the reconstruction of the military hangars, in 2008 CC signed their 1st record contract with Media Capital's Iplay label. That album contained the soundtrack of the Gigolo Dance show. The vintage and sui generis music of this CD lead the label to distribute it in the most independent circuits. At that time CC had no idea that 5 years later this show would donate its Gothic and Burlesque DNA to Le Cabaret Rock. Since, it was through Gigolo Dance that they discovered their more intimate soul, precisely between the universe of Cabaret and Rock. But they chose to pursue their wildest path, riding their Dieselpunk trucks. The 2009 tours reach the peak of their arena shows. However, a bad surprise awaited around the corner, in the form of a financial crisis that affected the globe. It became very hard for CC to maintain their fleet on the road, as producers, municipalities and corporates drastically cut their events. In the face of such a crisis the troupe chose to downsize, selling half of the fleet. On the artistic level, the Cabaret Rock formula from the Gigolo Dance show was the solution. The audience fell in love with that play, which quickly surpassed 100 shows held in different locations. Thus, they found that there existed a stream of public responsive to that production. Which encouraged them to finish the construction of their own theater - the Custom Café - a project started in 2004 in the central hangar of the fort, but chronically on standby due to lack of money. Without half of their theatrical fleet, CC were at a crossroads, at risk of losing everything: the remaining Rock'n'Roll Train, the arena and Nirvana Studios - which, in the meantime, had morphed into a huge artistic community. Wasting no time, they strategically sold most of their precious vehicles and dedicated another 3 years to building their theater - while continuing to present less-complex shows elsewhere: the Prisoners of the Blues, the Fire Performers, and Gigolo Dance. They pre-established several terms to swap their nomadic life for a residency in a theater: 1) That venue would have to house the CC on the road’s legacy. 2) As a performative hall, it should transcend the traditional concept of a theater, being suitable for their radical stagings. Thus, no auditorium seats and fully prepared for pyrotechnic acts. 3) Deprived of the CC’s arena, the new venue would require a suspended truss for the scenic machinery and aerial acts. Without financial resources to equip the theater with new audiovisuals, the troupe reused its road stock. The décor received some surviving smaller vehicles from the Rock'n'Roll Train, as well as thousands of memorabilia items from CC's frenzy past. Finally, after 9 years in limbo, the Custom Cafe Theater opened in March 2012 with the premiere of Le Cabaret Rock show. The phenomenon of its successive seasons ended up nicknaming the theatre with the very name of that show - a fact that the CC welcomed by fusing it along with the name of the theater. A THOUSAND SHOWS After the inauguration, in their hearts, the CC hopped on the programming of other groups to boost their theater, as they did not expect to exceed 6 months of their show in a residency format. To their great surprise, they reached 1 year, 2 years and so on, until they realized that they had generated a phenomenon that was devouring their lives. Since the pace of that period was mind-blowing. They dealt with this issue, reducing the number of shows in favor of other projects, namely the daily management of Nirvana Studios. Even so, 10 years after its debut, Le Cabaret Rock had already surpassed the barrier of a thousand shows - something like 200 thousand spectators. Which institutionalized the play as a must see it and as the official show of Nirvana Studios to this day. The uninterrupted longevity of this play is practically unique in Portugal. Especially with shows featuring between 100 to 250 spectators and a proven record of sold-out billboards. This earned recognition to Le Cabaret Rock in several national and international spheres. Another very rare approach at a national level is the fact that this troupe has created everything, around itself, from scratch. CONTENT The 10 artistic vectors present in this production extended in other cultural directions. Its original dramaturgy emerged in a literary novel series - whose plots take place in the artistic underworld of Paris in the 1980s - also translated in English and adapted: paperback, audiobook and e-book. Le Cabaret Rock's content had also been integrated into various media, television shows, festivals, cinema, video clips, institutional events and art exhibitions. Simultaneously, they were part of several cultural and artistic crossings. Academically, this show was also the theme of university theses and cultural course’s work within the Erasmus program. Since its beginning, the whole sum of acts from this show totalizes around 60 scenes – being difficult for the audience to know them all if one didn’t see the previous 6 generations. Thus, each season night reveals around 20 scenes, that is 1/3 of the total. STAGING Is this show really a musical? Yes and no, depending on the lens of each viewer. Who may be more inclined to see it as an avant-garde soirée de Varietés, a Noir Clubbing, a Cine Rock concert, or even a Honky-Tonk show on acid. Perhaps? All this - and much more - has already been proposed by show business experts without reaching a conclusion. On a dramatic level, Le Cabaret Rock is based on an unusual multipolar formula. The plot pulses according to the Vaudeville ideology, meaning things don’t unfold the same way at each performance – a freedom that creates unique moments. The stage liturgy is composed of diptychs and triptychs. Within this dynamic, the 3 moods of the theatrical mask emerge through bizarre lens. Aesthetically the play is intertwined in the Goth ranks, Dark Cabaret, Steampunk, Burlesque, Dirty Blues and Cyber Industrial. The focal message of Le Cabaret Rock is to what extent is madness a way for adults to return to childhood? That sweet phase that vanished so quickly, to the point that some of us want desperately to get back there – even at the cost of our sanity. Why not? Since life is so ephemeral... This life that must be lived to the fullest, today, here, now! Just because we will only get an empty bag from it. According to the renowned Argentine theater director Adolfo Gutkin, CC are unclassifiable, even in the most avant-garde theatrical genres. Due to the fact they have created a universe so credible that it ended up carnalizing their dramaturgies. That is, they managed to transcend the stage, materializing their fiction around their real lives. CHARACTERS The main characters of this play are a trio of crazy artists formed by a Gigolo with multi-personality disorder, a mysterious Femme fatale and a genius and menacing Doctor. Both performed on a Rock'n'Roll Train along with other unhinged artists. Until the day they started being hunted by a gruesome sect called Abattoir Lullaby – set with the mission of annihilating them To save themselves from the clutches of the fanatic pursuers, they took refuge in a government asylum. But they soon realized that the place was also controlled by the evil sect. Then they rioted, replacing the team that imprisoned them. The trio thus took control of the asylum, converting it into a loony Cabaret called Custom Cafe, where they continue to ride on their Rock'n'Roll Train. Behind the scenes of this dysfunctionality hides the identities of the 3 strange artists: As the only woman of the trio, Daniella Vol assumes a dominatrix existence at all levels. But what lies beyond her sexy, unfathomable character? As unpredictable as he is dangerous, Dr. Apokalipse juggles alchemy and engineering. However, how does he manage to do so in such a bizarre and frightening way? As for Michel Gigolo, he had so many women in his arms yet never loved by any of them. What kind of revenge awaits behind his red mask, after all? Pertinent questions that are partly hidden in the play’s symbolisms and songs (and for those who desire to know more about it, just venture at your own risk in the novels of the series). Other iconic characters continue to travel alongside the original trio, accompanying several generations of the show - such as the sexy Lilly Blanche and Niny Bourbon. Not forgetting the multifaceted Von Syco and the guitarist Storme, which has been welcomed into this cracked pot family as a Brexit castaway. Other artists have also enriched the cast of Le Cabaret Rock, each one in its own special way: Sir Warick, Monsieur Ballon, Suzy Kat, El Psicazélico, Veronique Divine, Don Bakalhau, TB Le Baron Rouge, Joaz, Captain Agulhas, Gutkin Exotic, Afonso Leichsenring, and so many others who stayed more fleetingly. GENERATIONS Currently Le Cabaret Rock is in its 7th generation. Each of them revealed deeper aspects of dramaturgy or visual imagery. For example, in the Bizarre Chic generation, the troupe unleashed the entire Steampunk aspect. In the 3 years of the Absurdium generation, a more surreal environment prevailed. In the 2 years of the Going Crazy period, it was the Dieselpunk anarchy. During the 2 years of The Journey seasons, the madness of the Rock'n'Roll Train sprung. Comparatively, the 1st generation was extremely Punk. Almost to the last consequences, it must be said. There was some nudity, teasing and somewhat shocking interaction with the audience. 2,5 years of polemical resilience that attracted problems, as the CC were the target of criticism and censorship in more conservative circles. Little by little, they accepted they were no longer living free on the road, nor alone searching for the next destination on the horizon. Because tens of thousands of Cabaret Rockers had already embraced the show as an irreverence symbol - which means that its legacy also lie in a collective psyche. IMAGERY The dystopian extravagance of its contents in terms of props, costumes and machinery, feeds each scene. Thus, if a picture is worth a thousand words, in the decadent poetry of this show, matter and form are a fundamental part of the message. In terms of costumes, materializing a dystopian era is no easy task. A trait that has accompanied each character of Le Cabaret Rock. For, at each performance, the collection can reach up to 60 different costumes. As for the props, about a hundred are used, being vital elements in certain parts of the play. Regarding stage machinery, there could be no post-apocalyptic scar without some kind of surviving technology. Plus, the CCs wouldn’t feel themselves without their strange metallic creatures. Therefore, laying bare the sensuality of Cabaret in a mechanical symbiosis is one of the characteristics of the troupe. On the cinematic side, video art stands out to also transport the spectator towards the strange and disruptive universe where the protagonists live. In terms of pyrotechnics, that’s a component that has been a constant signature of this troupe born amidst colossal trucks, Harley-Davidsons and customized cars. Hence the arts of fire have always walked hand in hand with the explosions and combustions of their powerful engines. MUSIC The soundtracks are essentially Dark Wave, marked by philosophical conundrums or pure black comedy that coexist in melodies of decadent beauty. Of the 11 albums of originals recorded by CC, 4 were issued for the successive mutations of this play. Logically, the music harmonizes within the aesthetics embraced by the troupe. However, the Goth side is the most prevalent, followed by Industrial, Techno and electro Martial - which fuse with other genres such as Dirty Blues, Wasteland Rock or Dark Folk. This musical plurality has allowed Le Cabaret Rock to extend towards other artists, since the troupe has invited many dozens of other groups to its openings. Some of whom even perform alongside the CCs, even in the case of orchestras. ACTING The acting m.o. is remarkably freestyle. In addition, the staging relies in the expressions of pantomime, clowning and Rock'n'roll extravaganza - ingredients highly conducive to improvisation. In the area of dance, its role in this show is mainly ritualistic, not to say fetishistic. Hence, fire being a usual protagonist. Thus, starting from the matrix of burlesque, each choreography can be deconstructed to fade in the shadows of the macabre, the industrial chaos or even in the coldness of Dieselpunk. HORIZON Despite the countless joys that have sprinkled this path of CC, not everything is idyllic at Le Cabaret Rock. Not being a circus, it is to a certain extent a transdisciplinary production with some risk involved. However, the main risk has been the toll inherent to the profession. Something usually known in performing arts, as the symbolic offering of a rose to the audience. On some nights that rose may appear rather lush, vividly red and with softer spikes, while sometimes it may look darker and lacerating. Going back to the founding trio of CC (Daniela Sousa, Michel Alex and Rui Gago) when they started this adventure long before Le Cabaret Rock existed, they were in their mid-20s. Then came the 30s and the 40s who unfurled at the speed of light, because life on the road ticks fast. And now they are both 50 years old. According to them, being a part of this show is not an easy life. Thus, they have been adapting constantly. On the other hand, while pondering strategies they are regularly confronted with the future of this show – and its history. For practical reasons, until now they have declined all proposals for residency outside the country. But they never ruled out the possibility to clone the show with another cast. Something they tried to do in New York with Gigolo Dance in 2010. But the timing was inadequate due to the financial crisis. So, for now, they don’t intend to risk such a thing again. In the meantime, they will stick to their Carpe Diem existence. Because, although some characters of the cast have already changed a few times, the fact is that the power trio, Daniella Vol, Dr. Apokalipse and Michel Gigolo, has always remained on stage. But until when?