Dragging Piaf
by Alan Corbishley
Kamloops 2014
Vancouver 2016:
Vancouver Queer Arts Festival
Dressed in drag as Edith Piaf, tenor Frederik Robert sings the songs of this iconic French singer. The live performance provides the soundtrack to an accompanying silent film by Alan Corbishley. The concert consists of twelve songs and twelve corresponding movie scenes depicting the slow physical and emotional disintegration of Ed, a Vancouver drag queen.
"On its own, ninety minutes of Frederik Robert’s singing could’ve been interesting and fully entertaining … I was excited to see if the silent film could use the urgency and intensity of Robert’s live voice to spin a powerful narrative… And it did."
"From the opening note of this French-Canadian tenor’s voice, the crowd was clearly captivated"