In 1965, Bob Dylan wrote what would become one of the greatest rock songs of the 20th century, Like a Rolling Stone. Forty years later, the critic Greil Marcus devoted a book with the same title to Dylan, delving into the crazy adventure of the song’s composition: “Like a Rolling Stone was a masterpiece of skill, inspiration, will and determination; but despite all these elements, it was also an accident.” Through this book, Marie Rémond and Sébastien Pouderoux ponder the origins of artistic creation: doubt, chance, mystery and poetry, and “take stock of the difference between how we a imagine a masterpiece is created and the particular chaos of its creation”. In this production we discover the actors of Troupe as off-the-wall musicians and singers pampered by a legendary impresario whose career is coming to an end.
At the height of the American identity crisis during the Vietnam War, Dylan seemed to turn his rage into an existential questioning, “[he was] capable of seeing into the heart of things, the truth of things. Not metaphorically, in fact, but really seeing, like seeing into metal and making it melt.” Did he realise at the time that these six minutes thirty-four seconds of music would change the face of rock for all time?

When yer head gets twisted and yer mind grows numb
Quand t’as la tête en vrac, quand ton esprit s’engourdit

When you think you’re too old, too young, too smart or too dumb
Quand tu te crois trop vieux, trop jeune, trop malin ou trop bête

When yer laggin’ behind an’ losin’ yer pace
Quant tu es à la traîne, quand tu as l’impression

In a slow-motion crawl of life’s busy race
De courir au ralenti derrière la vie

[…] And where do you look for this hope that yer seekin’
Et où trouver cet espoir que tu cherches

Where do you look for this lamp that’s a-burnin’
Où trouver cette lampe qui brûle

Where do you look for this oil well gushin’
Où trouver ce puits d’où le pétrole jaillit

Where do you look for this candle that’s glowin’
Où trouver la lueur de cette bougie

Where do you look for this hope that you know is there
Où trouver cet espoir que tu sais être là

And out there somewhere
Là, quelque part

And your feet can only walk down two kinds of roads
Tes jambes ne peuvent suivre que deux routes

Your eyes can only look through two kinds of windows
Tes yeux ne peuvent regarder que par deux fenêtres

Your nose can only smell two kinds of hallways
Ton nez ne peut te mener qu’à deux couloirs

You can touch and twist
Tu peux toucher, tordre

And turn two kinds of doorknobs
Et tourner deux poignées de porte

You can either go to the church of your choice
Soit tu rejoins l’église deton choix

Or you can go to Brooklyn State Hospital
Soit tu vas à l’hôpital de Brooklyn

You’ll find God in the church of your choice
Tu trouveras Dieu dans l’église de ton choix

You’ll find Woody Guthrie in Brooklyn State Hospital
Tu trouveras Woody Guthrie à l’hôpital de Brooklyn

And though it’s only my opinion
Ce n’est que mon avis

I may be right or wrong
Je peux avoir raison ou tort

You’ll find them both
Tu trouveras les deux

In the Grand Canyon
Dans le Grand Canyon

At sundown
Au coucher du soleil

Adaptation and staging: Marie Rémond and Sébastien Pouderoux

And Hugues Duchêne, Gabriel Tur