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In the beginning there was darkness. Then let there be spotlight. The entire theatre appeared to be renewed, taking the form of a sublime mystical pop epic. This work tells the story of the impact of Jesus’ philosophical teachings in a hallucinatory manner, as told by a boisterous, disobedient and extraordinary child. Warning: risk of transfiguration! 

NAC French Theatre is delighted to welcome the full version of this two-part signature work (La Genèse and La plus belle histoire jamais contée) from Philippe Boutin and his company, Empire Panique, whose first opus was hailed in its Montréal debut in 2022. This incredible story, the tale of a young man wanting to save the world by himself, is served up on a magnificent platter. Dance, theatre, kung-fu, mime, musical comedy, lip synching, angels on roller skates: it’s like a hyperactive kaleidoscope, with every single performing art on stage to tell the tale of this founding myth of Western civilization, revealing in one fell swoop the incredible talent of an impressive cast of multi-tasking performers. What would you say to a delightful postmodern pizza? 

Behind this jubilant Babylonian exercise is the honest desire to present the character of Jesus as a plausible figure of individual and collective recovery. By recklessly manipulating this explosive material, in which tragedy meets comedy, this totally iconoclastic epic might just rekindle a much-needed sacred fire.