Pauline Adamek
George Méliès was a French magician, actor, and film director who pioneered many technical and narrative innovations in the early days of cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the first filmmakers to use special effects, such as stop motion, multiple exposures, and hand-painted color, to create fantastical and imaginative stories. He is also known for his films A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904), which are considered among the most important early science fiction films.
Above image The Moon – photo credit: – Cinémathèque Française/Alcoléa & cie.
Méliès was a major influence on many filmmakers, such as Martin Scorsese, who wrote an essay on film preservation and dedicated his film Hugo (2011) to George Méliès.
Later this month, the Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz is presenting a wonderful tribute to Méliès that pairs eleven of his iconic silent films with live musical accompaniment from three musicians and 50 (!) instruments.
This extraordinary show has been touring for the past ten years and is being staged here in L.A. for ***one performance only*** on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 8:00pm at the Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz in West LA.
Gates open at 7pm for baguette sandwiches and cash bar.
General Admission: $40.00 Student/Senior: $30.00
Suitable for all ages.
Tickets are available now at theatreraymondkabbaz.com
Discount 1 – Today only!
Get 30% off General Admission Tickets
Use Discount Code PRESIDENT
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(Credit- Rudy Burbant).
From the press release:
Right in the Eye (En plein dans l’œil) from composer-scenographer Jean-François Alcoléa, is a unique live concert performed to the silent, fantastical films of George Méliès featuring three musicians, 50 instruments and 11 of Méliès films. Celebrating its 10th anniversary tour, Right in the Eye will play 14 venues across the United States and Canada from February 29 – March 30, 2024. On Wednesday, February 28 at 8:00pm, Right in the Eye will be coming to Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz for one performance only.
Tickets are available now at theatreraymondkabbaz.com.
Praised by the great-great-granddaughter of legendary filmmaker and cinematographer Georges Méliès, Jean-François Alcoléa has crafted a magical show where a multi-layered and inventive score highlights Méliès’ iconic films. SF Fringe, Edinburgh called the production “A magical hour where films, light and music weave a rich tapestry. A unique experience that goes far beyond just watching very old films.”
Featuring a trio of virtuoso musicians, their performance, in and of itself, is a spectacle – as they create music from an extraordinary range of instruments: piano, a soundboard, percussion and guitar; aquaphone (marine harp), theremin, melodica, glockenspiel; and objects of everyday life such as stemware, circular saws, whistles, flying plates and takeaway food lids.
Since its creation in 2014, Right in the Eye has had over 700 performances in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Morocco, Romania, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, at two Avignon festivals and at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. In addition, this 10th anniversary tour features workshops with students of all ages, as well as masterclasses, residencies and special performances for Colleges and Universities across the United States & Canada. For more information, visit https://alcolea-cie.net/en/right-in-the-eye/.
Creative Team:
Design, compositions, keyboard, melodica, piano frame, objects: Jean-François Alcoléa
Drums, guitar: Fabrice Favriou
Sound, keyboard, objects: Thomas Desmartis
Lighting, sound and video management: Mathieu Lucas
(Credit: Alain Chasseuil).
Right in the Eye (En plein dans l’œil)
When: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 8pm
Where: Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz
10361 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA, 90064
Tickets: Tickets are available at theatreraymondkabbaz.com
Gates open at 7pm for baguette sandwiches and cash bar.
General Admission: $40.00 Student/Senior: $30.00
Suitable for all ages.
About Jean-François Alcoléa:
Jean-François Alcoléa is a complete musician — piano, chamber music, composition, jazz, rock and vocal music, as well as music for theater, dance and short films. Since 2000, Alcoléa has created and presented his own shows with the collaboration of qualified artists and technicians. Pianist, composer, improviser and scenographer, Alcoléa’s shows reflect his plural worlds, combining music, sound creation, lighting, still and animated images, street arts, dance, texts and visual creations.
Interested in history, ethnology and sociology, Jean-François Alcoléa also creates site-specific shows, projected onto urban or industrial buildings, monuments, churches, castles, and natural spaces. By highlighting and sensitively reading the places, his shows offer a very open approach towards the public, with work on the memory of the places and the inhabitants.
Among more than 2,500 shows that he has produced around the world, let us cite his creations as part of the International Exhibition in Zaragoza, in Spain, the European Heritage Days, for institutions in France, or his notable appearance at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival last year. He was the guest of the Outremont Theater in 2020 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of this famous venue in Montreal.
Jean-François Alcoléa also uses his experience as a music teacher to create a varied range of mediation offerings. With his team, he developed interactive online workshops, which were created in February 2021 for shows aimed at Canadian audiences and which, since then, have been tested in France as part of hybrid interactive workshops in person and online. He is currently working on a digital education platform project dedicated to images and music, coming at the end of 2024.
Kurt Gardner
