Apocalypse, a musical tragicomedy – Comedy Sketches by Jean-Pierre Martinez
For several decades now, heatwaves have been occurring one after another, ever earlier, longer and more severe. Heat “records” are broken year after year. Humanity seems to be rushing towards its own destruction, unable to change course in order to avoid this looming apocalypse. This implacable mechanism is the very mechanism of tragedy: we already know that it will end badly, but we can do nothing to prevent it…
Jean-Pierre Martinez, both a playwright and a lyricist, has nevertheless chosen to sound the alarm, through sketches and songs. With seriousness, but not without humour, he warns us of the fragility of the human species, and of the absurdity of its fate should it disappear while possessing both the knowledge of the mortal danger that threatens it and the means to avert it. Unless the disappearance of Humanity is written into its DNA, and nothing can alter its programmed end…
List of sketches
1 – The Fall of Icarus
Song The Fishbowl
2 – Climate sceptic
Song Apocalypse
3 – Catastrophe Theory
Song Surviving Mankind
4 – The Stone Age
Song Quatre étoiles
5 – Revolt and Revolution
Song A brief moment of eternity
6 – Apocalypse
Song Fragile, handle with care
7 – Soap bubbles
Song Crash zone
8 – Hell
Song Soap bubbles
The songs may be performed live by the actors in the play or by singers, accompanied by musicians on stage, or sung over a recorded instrumental backing track, supplied by the author on request. The songs may also be played as part of a soundtrack integrated into the performance.
Download the entire collection free of charge (PDF)
