Wannes Cappelle, Inge Paulussen, Jonas Leemans, Dimitri Leue - Elegast

‘Vraie historie ende al waer Mach ik u tellen hoorter naer’ This is how Karel ende Elegast begins, and it is immediately clear that the writer wants you to believe him. He emphasizes the authenticity of the story, asks permission to tell it, and commands you to listen. Entire essays are written about those two verses alone. In total, there are 1419 verses, enough for a Wikipedia of text analysis. Een Vlaamse classic full of food for thought gets new life! ‘I want to know who you are, and where you are driving to at this hour, and what your father's name is. And whether you, as a child, ever had a bunny that pooped square droppings?’ An angel gives Keizer Karel the task at night to go and steal. Thus begins the adventure of the king with the beautiful beard. An edifying story about loyalty, trust, and honorable behavior. Wannes Cappelle, Jonas Leemans, Dimitri Leue, and Inge Paulussen pump new blood into the medieval version. ‘I bring you according to the semaphore alphabet: verses 875-885. The people who understand that language will have a big head start on the others afterward. Enjoy my banners for a moment. In my left hand, you recognize the banner of the French empire and its lilies, and in my right hand, you recognize the banner of holy Roomse Rijk with the double eagle, together they form the flag of Keizer Karel, ruler of all that and more.’ Elegast: You really don't know a thing about stealing. Karel: Maybe. But a chatterbox is also a hairstyle! Elegast: What do you mean by that? Karel: That I look at stealing from the other side. That makes me a master thief. After ‘Van den vos die amoc maecte’, Leue tackles a second text from the Canon to feel how words can connect you with people from eight hundred years ago and at the same time with people from Ypres to Tongeren. The commonality shatters distance and time. By and with: Wannes Cappelle, Jonas Leemans, Inge Paulussen (acting) | Dimitri Leue (acting, text, direction) | Antoon Offeciers (music) Antoon composes music not too loud, but lute enough | Atelier Utilisé: Lynn Wauters (costume) Lynn pushes chainmail under her sewing machine, until the iron wire makes her choke | Antoine Waterkeyn (decor) Antoine makes the whole theater image tilt artistically | Sonista (technique) | Leue vzw (production) Thanks to CC De Klap Deurne and the Tax Shelter of the Belgian federal government.