Eddy de Pretto and Maud Le Pladec at Montreux Jazz: A Musical to Transcend Modern Solitude

The Montreux Jazz Lab has reopened its doors, and choreographer Maud Le Pladec, known for her work on the Paris Olympic opening ceremony, is at the helm. Her latest project, "Lonely Club," a dance concert featuring singer Eddy de Pretto, premiered at the Montreux Jazz Festival, bringing together eight dancers to delve into the theme of modern-day solitude.

Set against a backdrop of a disco ball and a starry sky-like neon light, "Lonely Club" pulsates with a sense of inner turmoil. Le Pladec stages the rhythm of a suffering heart, a recurring motif in the music of "le Kid de Créteil" (the Kid from Créteil), as de Pretto first emerged in 2017 challenging notions of masculinity. His early hit questioned the pressure to be "virile," strong, dominant, and tough.

Ten years later, the public remains captivated by this theme, which feels more relevant than ever. Dressed in leather and lace, Eddy de Pretto performed the song amidst a tableau of mimes. Around him, dancers, both male and female, bare-chested or clad in mesh and corsets, embodied various poses of masculinity. They confronted each other, puffed out their chests, rolled their shoulders, flexed their biceps, and engaged in mock fights, ultimately coming together in a prolonged, erotic embrace.

"Lonely Club" unfolds more like a musical than a concert. It's a pop spectacle featuring societal reflections, intimate interludes, narrative climaxes, dramatic solos, and even a theatrical curtain call. It's a performance to be watched as much as heard, a visual music video inspired by the sensuality of the eighties and the club aesthetics of the nineties. The piece uses the body to convey the 21st century's malaise, a time when our fingers touch screens more often than skin.

Despite the intense and precisely executed choreography, the audience remained largely passive observers. The performance, while visually compelling and thematically resonant, did not translate into collective audience participation, creating a curious paradox.