Jeu Jeu la Foille's Frontal Lobotomy
Visual Theatre and Poetry, heavily under the influence of Tom Waits, and with a smattering of weird science
See the trailer here
See an extract here
Buy the book here
Full show available on my Patreon
Bold, witty, and surreal, burlesque maverick Jeu Jeu la Foille fuses original beat poetry with the tormented lullabies of Tom Waits; punctuated with scientific accounts of perhaps the biggest error of judgment in medical history – the transorbital lobotomy. Dreamlike, passionate, and sometimes ridiculous; a dance through the woozy mythology, skewed narrative and embellished truths in the melancholic, irreverent world of Waits. Raising questions on differing attitudes towards mental illness, the various coping mechanisms, and with a unique blend of form and style -expect gruff puppetry, beatnik burlesque, spoken word, and a toyshop orchestra of musical reprobates.
The show debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, and secured Arts Council funding for a subsequent tour.
The 2017 tour was launched at The Cavendish Arms, London on December 4th 2016.
'Frontal Lobotomy' was nominated for the Best New Writing Award at Buxton Fringe Festival 2017.
Visual Theatre and Poetry, heavily under the influence of Tom Waits, and with a smattering of weird science
See the trailer here
See an extract here
Buy the book here
Full show available on my Patreon
Bold, witty, and surreal, burlesque maverick Jeu Jeu la Foille fuses original beat poetry with the tormented lullabies of Tom Waits; punctuated with scientific accounts of perhaps the biggest error of judgment in medical history – the transorbital lobotomy. Dreamlike, passionate, and sometimes ridiculous; a dance through the woozy mythology, skewed narrative and embellished truths in the melancholic, irreverent world of Waits. Raising questions on differing attitudes towards mental illness, the various coping mechanisms, and with a unique blend of form and style -expect gruff puppetry, beatnik burlesque, spoken word, and a toyshop orchestra of musical reprobates.
The show debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, and secured Arts Council funding for a subsequent tour.
The 2017 tour was launched at The Cavendish Arms, London on December 4th 2016.
'Frontal Lobotomy' was nominated for the Best New Writing Award at Buxton Fringe Festival 2017.
Show Information
Length
45 minutes with no interval
Set up time for full length show: 10 minutes
Clear up time for full length show: 10 minutes
Extract Version
15-25 minutes
I usually operate my own sound, and incorporate the clear up into the piece.
Set up time: 5-10 minutes
Technical
Solo performance, small-scale touring theatre: Space required is minimum of 3 metres wide and 2 metres deep.
Lighting: 1 mid-show black out required. Can be modified for different venues.
Sound: 6 cues, tech script provided. Sound can also be operated by the performer if the speaker connection allows the ipad to be close to the performance space.
Past Performances
2016
Thursday 5th May, Scratch That, Hackney Attic, London
Monday 23rd May, The Canal Cafe Theatre, London
Wednesday 20th July, Rosemary Branch Theatre, London
Tuesday 26th July, Bread and Roses Theatre, London
Thursday 4th to Sunday 21st August, Southside Social, Edinburgh (Fringe)
Sunday 4th December, The Cavendish Arms, London
2017
Wednesday 18th January, Le Chien Noir Cabaret for Mental Health, The RVT, London
Sunday 29th Janauary, The Albany, London
Wednesday 1st - Sunday 5th February, Gatsby’s Bar, Vault Festival, London
Thursday 16th February, Crowd of Favours, Leeds
Friday 3rd March, The Albany as part of Luscious Cabaret, London
Monday 13th March, Theatre in the Pound, Cockpitt Theatre, London
Sunday 2nd April, Bawdsville’s Other Fools, London
Saturday 8th April, The Beehive, London
Thursday 27th April, The Cavendish Arms, London
Sunday 14th May, Chaplin's Cellar Bar, Boscombe
Friday 19th-Saturday 20th May, Brighton Fringe, Bar Broadway, Brighton
Sunday 4th June, The Railway, Winchester
Saturday 24th June, All in the Mind Festival, Basingstoke
Sunday 2nd July, The Alternative Hat Fair, The Railway, Winchester
Saturday 8th July, Manchester Fringe, Gulliver's, Manchester
Friday 14th July, Guilford Fringe Festival, The Star Inn (Back Room), Guildford.
Saturday 22nd July, Buxton Fringe Festival, The Green Man Gallery, Hardwick Hall, Buxton
Tuesday 31st October, Andover College, Andover
2018
Saturday 7th April, FAP in the Attic, The Railway, Winchester
Saturday 26th May, Cafe Reflections, Southampton
Sunday 7th October, DICE Festival, Camden People’s Theatre, London
Saturday 27th October, HYG Performance Nights, London
2019
Saturday 2nd February, FAP with Friends in the Attic, The Railway, Winchester
Tuesday 19th February, The Cabaret Project, Chaplins Cellar Bar, Boscombe
Saturday 1st June, FAP with Friends in the Attic, The Railway, Winchester
Friday 28th June, Moving Voices, The Art House, Southampton
Wednesday 10th July, Clout! Festival, Studio 3 Arts, London
Saturday 24th August, Derailed Summer Special, Winchester
Thursday 31st October, Write a Note, Southampton
2021
Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th February, Studio Jeu Live Stream (Online)
2022
Sunday 14th February, Valentine's Day Mascara (Online)
Saturday 2nd April, Theatre Royal, Winchester
2023
Friday 10th February, Moving Voices, The Art House, Southampton
Sunday 2nd July, Portsfest, The Gunwharf Keys and The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
2025
Sunday 28th September 'Bunkerfest' Planet Sounds, Southampton
Saturday 4th October 'Jeu Jeu la Foille's Two Solo Shows' Edmund Kell Unitarian Church, Southampton
Press from the Edinburgh Fringe debut run 2016 at the Laughing Horse Free Festival
The Upcoming
“Featured in The Ten Most Highly Anticipated Shows of the Fringe: Burlesque babe Jeu Jeu la Foille interestingly commingles original spoken word with the tantalising musical work of Tom Waits to create an intoxicating, sultry spectacle.”
Fringe Review
“There’s a delicate cheekiness in the air. It’s a mix of disarming innocence, a coy smile and a theatrical wink which keeps you constantly intrigued… It immediately tickles your funny bone, letting you sit back and savour the formality being traduced…. Tying together the themes is a running soundtrack/soundscape of Tom Waits, either playing live (archly and hilariously mimed by Jeu Jeu in a hastily donned slouch hat – the arrival of her band is a treat – or Waits appearing as a puppet, manipulated by her, smoking a cigarette…”
Three Weeks
“Creative and engaging… La Foille clowns her way through burlesque and passionate prose – surely this is how every poetic anthology wishes it could be presented?”
The Scotsman
“Clever, controlled, accessible yet fantastical – and the whole thing is held together by La Foille’s relaxed and assured stage presence.”
Press from the 2017 Tour
Theatre Bubble, February http://www.theatrebubble.com/tag/jeu-jeu-la-foille/
Buxton Fringe, July https://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk/reviews2017the.html
http://buxton.fringeguru.com/reviews/buxton-2017/frontal-lobotomy
Length
45 minutes with no interval
Set up time for full length show: 10 minutes
Clear up time for full length show: 10 minutes
Extract Version
15-25 minutes
I usually operate my own sound, and incorporate the clear up into the piece.
Set up time: 5-10 minutes
Technical
Solo performance, small-scale touring theatre: Space required is minimum of 3 metres wide and 2 metres deep.
Lighting: 1 mid-show black out required. Can be modified for different venues.
Sound: 6 cues, tech script provided. Sound can also be operated by the performer if the speaker connection allows the ipad to be close to the performance space.
Past Performances
2016
Thursday 5th May, Scratch That, Hackney Attic, London
Monday 23rd May, The Canal Cafe Theatre, London
Wednesday 20th July, Rosemary Branch Theatre, London
Tuesday 26th July, Bread and Roses Theatre, London
Thursday 4th to Sunday 21st August, Southside Social, Edinburgh (Fringe)
Sunday 4th December, The Cavendish Arms, London
2017
Wednesday 18th January, Le Chien Noir Cabaret for Mental Health, The RVT, London
Sunday 29th Janauary, The Albany, London
Wednesday 1st - Sunday 5th February, Gatsby’s Bar, Vault Festival, London
Thursday 16th February, Crowd of Favours, Leeds
Friday 3rd March, The Albany as part of Luscious Cabaret, London
Monday 13th March, Theatre in the Pound, Cockpitt Theatre, London
Sunday 2nd April, Bawdsville’s Other Fools, London
Saturday 8th April, The Beehive, London
Thursday 27th April, The Cavendish Arms, London
Sunday 14th May, Chaplin's Cellar Bar, Boscombe
Friday 19th-Saturday 20th May, Brighton Fringe, Bar Broadway, Brighton
Sunday 4th June, The Railway, Winchester
Saturday 24th June, All in the Mind Festival, Basingstoke
Sunday 2nd July, The Alternative Hat Fair, The Railway, Winchester
Saturday 8th July, Manchester Fringe, Gulliver's, Manchester
Friday 14th July, Guilford Fringe Festival, The Star Inn (Back Room), Guildford.
Saturday 22nd July, Buxton Fringe Festival, The Green Man Gallery, Hardwick Hall, Buxton
Tuesday 31st October, Andover College, Andover
2018
Saturday 7th April, FAP in the Attic, The Railway, Winchester
Saturday 26th May, Cafe Reflections, Southampton
Sunday 7th October, DICE Festival, Camden People’s Theatre, London
Saturday 27th October, HYG Performance Nights, London
2019
Saturday 2nd February, FAP with Friends in the Attic, The Railway, Winchester
Tuesday 19th February, The Cabaret Project, Chaplins Cellar Bar, Boscombe
Saturday 1st June, FAP with Friends in the Attic, The Railway, Winchester
Friday 28th June, Moving Voices, The Art House, Southampton
Wednesday 10th July, Clout! Festival, Studio 3 Arts, London
Saturday 24th August, Derailed Summer Special, Winchester
Thursday 31st October, Write a Note, Southampton
2021
Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th February, Studio Jeu Live Stream (Online)
2022
Sunday 14th February, Valentine's Day Mascara (Online)
Saturday 2nd April, Theatre Royal, Winchester
2023
Friday 10th February, Moving Voices, The Art House, Southampton
Sunday 2nd July, Portsfest, The Gunwharf Keys and The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
2025
Sunday 28th September 'Bunkerfest' Planet Sounds, Southampton
Saturday 4th October 'Jeu Jeu la Foille's Two Solo Shows' Edmund Kell Unitarian Church, Southampton
Press from the Edinburgh Fringe debut run 2016 at the Laughing Horse Free Festival
The Upcoming
“Featured in The Ten Most Highly Anticipated Shows of the Fringe: Burlesque babe Jeu Jeu la Foille interestingly commingles original spoken word with the tantalising musical work of Tom Waits to create an intoxicating, sultry spectacle.”
Fringe Review
“There’s a delicate cheekiness in the air. It’s a mix of disarming innocence, a coy smile and a theatrical wink which keeps you constantly intrigued… It immediately tickles your funny bone, letting you sit back and savour the formality being traduced…. Tying together the themes is a running soundtrack/soundscape of Tom Waits, either playing live (archly and hilariously mimed by Jeu Jeu in a hastily donned slouch hat – the arrival of her band is a treat – or Waits appearing as a puppet, manipulated by her, smoking a cigarette…”
Three Weeks
“Creative and engaging… La Foille clowns her way through burlesque and passionate prose – surely this is how every poetic anthology wishes it could be presented?”
The Scotsman
“Clever, controlled, accessible yet fantastical – and the whole thing is held together by La Foille’s relaxed and assured stage presence.”
Press from the 2017 Tour
Theatre Bubble, February http://www.theatrebubble.com/tag/jeu-jeu-la-foille/
Buxton Fringe, July https://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk/reviews2017the.html
http://buxton.fringeguru.com/reviews/buxton-2017/frontal-lobotomy
Photos courtesy of Oliver Facey, Jon Ellis and Stephan Burn 2016
Studio portrait by Rosemary Rance and Peter Jones 2016
Studio portrait by Rosemary Rance and Peter Jones 2016
