KARACHI: Patio of the French Cultural Center (Alliance Française de) Karachi was the venue where world’s best-known mime Laurent Décol, [who had acquired his métier from Marcel Marceau (disciple of legendary Charlie Chaplin)] performed with Yamina Peerzada, Valérie Décol, musicians Akmal Qadri and Waris Ali.

Presented by Alliance Française de Karachi in collaboration with Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, the mime, mask and puppet performance titled Slow & Steady Wins the Race was adapted from the 17^th century fables of French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine.

A large number of special children were also invited to witness the spectacle. Nevertheless, while talking to Newspakistan.tv Laurent Décol maintained that the show was not meant only for children as Fontaine’s fables are for adults too.

Laurent Décol: “Performing with Pakistani artist (Yamina Peerzada) and musicians (Akmal Qadri & Waris Ali) was a marvelous adventure. If you remember, last time (when we met) I said I will return! And today I have delivered what I have promised!

“My wife (Valérie Décol) is performing with me. She makes masks and puppets. And all the marks and puppets used in this performance has been made by her. This experience (in Pakistan) was awesome. It was a meeting between two cultures.

“I found that it worked out marvelously well. We have formed the show in Lahore for two weeks in collaboration with Rafi Peer Theatre (Workshop). After that we played three times in Lahore, once in Islamabad and now Karachi”.

Valérie Décol: “This is my first visit to Pakistan…I have made all the masks, puppets and costumes for the show… just in ten days…I have started liking the ambiance here so much that I don’t feel like going back…Some 40 years ago I had commenced my career as special effects make-up artist…I met Laurent at a show 32 years ago for which I was working as make-up artist… we have two sons”. 

Yamina Peerzada: “I am a puppeteer and an actress…acting with dialogues…I am used to text. I have never done mime before. It was the first time that it was without a dialogue…What is brilliant about Laurent – a master – is that he is a very gentle director.

“Initially, I was a little scared, but in a very fun way – in literally eight to ten days – we created this together…It is just amazing watching him. What he taught me was that in mime it is all about precision and timing…

“So I think it has been a great experience for me…All masks were created by Valérie and the puppets with her cooperation with Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop. We basically work with puppets. So together it was a collaboration where they all created props and everything in Lahore…”.

Eight pieces from the works of 17^th century fabulist Jean de la Fontaine were presented:

1) Le Corbeau et le Renard (Fox and the Crow);

2) Le petit Poisson et le Pêcheur (Little Fish and the Fisherman);

3) Le Chat, la Belette et le petit Lapin (Cat, Weasel and the little Rabbit);

4) Le Coq et le Renard (Rooster and the Fox);

5) Le Lièvre et la Tortue (Bunny and the Turtle);

6) Le Renard et la Cigogne (Fox and the Stork);

7) Le Loup et l’Agneau (Wolf and the Lamb);

8) Le Cigale et la Fourmi (Cicada and the Ant).

As the finale, maestro Laurent Décol presented a gloomy piece The Mask Maker depicting those miserable beings who wear a fake visage while facing the world.

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