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The Ballad of Jimmy Jones and His Heavenly Truck
All audiences from 12 years-old
On the highways of an imaginary America of the 1950s, Jimmy Jones Jr. tells us the tales and misfortunes of his father, a most unusual man. Steeped in nostalgia, we revisit diners, car washes and drive-ins, as well as fields that stretch as far as the eye can see. This is a road trip that immerses us in a quirky, absurd, and humorous universe where Jimmy, in his father’s shadow, tries as best he can to free himself from this stifling male model.
Ah! America… where clouds chase you, fish know everything about fishermen, and men become one with their trucks. The theatre of objects is the perfect medium to convey such a world. With its astonishing poetry, it allows us to believe without any difficulty how, for the duration of a story, men may indeed be trucks. Imagine how difficult it must be for Jimmy Jr. to get around by bicycle in such a world!
Duration 1:20
Production Théâtre de la Pire Espèce
Creative team
Text Francis Monty
Original creation and performance Francis Monty et Alexandre Leroux
Object and costume design Julie Vallée-Léger
Artistic collaboration Antoine Laprise et Antonia Leney-Granger Assistant directors Martine Richard, Jonathan Cusson
& Julie Brosseau-Doré
Dramaturgical consultant Jonathan Cusson
Concept for the character of Jimmy Jones Pier Porcheron
Design and technical production Gabriel Duquette
Stage Manager Martine Richard
Production manager Catherine Le Gall-Marchand
Production Théâtre de la Pire Espèce
Press reviews
Interview with Francis Monty – Le Devoir
February 28, 2022 – Marie Fradette
“The theatre of objects allows the playwright to play with materials, to have fun with symbols, and present a staging that is anything but frontal. Through a variety of objects that are manipulated on the stage, Monty and his sidekick Alexandre Leroux explore various American archetypes.”
Théâtre. Québec
March 7, 2022 – Daphnée Bathalon
“ Monty and Leroux are a formidable duo, at times transforming a few props into a drive-in movie theatre, a long country road, high voltage lines or nuclear power plant chimneys, at other times embodying the characters at the heart of their tale. The story of Jimmy Jones is above all that of a mismatched father-son duo, in which Junior lives in the crushing shadow of a father that he sees as larger than life, a model that doesn’t suit him at all. As the son, Leroux evokes an exquisite vulnerability, while Monty is as adept as ever at bringing out the humour in every line.“
Revue Jeu
March 10, 2022 – Maud Cucci
“Fantasy seeps into this new work from all sides, while the objects are above all a pretext for the actors’ performance. Jimmy, represented by a pick-up truck, is also played by Francis Monty with delightful exuberance. It’s like being catapulted into a delirious cartoon reminiscent of those made by Tex Avery. The beer-bottle opening alone is certainly worth the trip. The sound effects hit the nail on the head, especially the one in the father’s fly-fishing lesson: therein lies the art of mastering a “plop” that doesn’t “flop.”
The pair of puppeteers play the cards of humour and ironic parody with great energy. To enter America’s mythological universe, they parade a whole cast of colourful characters: the constipated sheriff, the sleep-inducing priest, the unfriendly farmer, the pseudo-Italian local celebrity… The women, unfortunately, seem to have been left on the sidelines.“
Performance history
2017
Cabaret de courtes formes, Festival Momix, Kingersheim, France
Cabaret tous courts, OUF! Festival, Montreal, Québec
Festival Orbis Pictus, Reims, France
Festival Marmaille, Rennes, France
2018
Belltable, Limerick, Ireland
