25 June 2010. At the NT Theatre in the city of Ghent in Belgium, the play Gardenia made its debut; based on an idea by Vanessa Van Durme, a famous Belgian actress who has played an important role in fighting prejudice against LGBTQ+ people. Inspired by the film Yo soy asì (This is me) by Sonia Herman Dolz, in which the closure of a drag queen cabaret in Barcelona serves as an opportunity to examine the private lives of a memorable group of ageing artists, the choreographer Alain Platel, the director Franck Van Laecke and the composer Steven Prengels create a truly unique project. Gardenia explores the turbulent lives of nine extraordinary people. Rather than a work of fantasy, it is an eyewitness account, an intimate story that examines hope and illusion both touched on and lost. Seven people of a certain age walk with ease along the line between male and female, in contrast and harmony with a “young man” and a “real woman”. Each of them is in search of something, each of them has their own fascinating tale to tell.
Ten years on from a tour that saw more than 200 performances, from Avignon to Berlin, from Amsterdam to Barcelona, via Canada and Russia, the company is once again reunited; one of the cast members has died, but the other eight are on stage once again to present themselves, “ready to take to the stage/to thrill and amaze/to laugh and remain silent/to sparkle and shine, once again, somewhere over the rainbow”.