The classic animated film The Triplets of Belleville will be screened Friday at the Redfern Arts Center in Keene.
The Academy Award-nominated film will be accompanied by its composer Benoit Charest and a live, eight-piece Quebecois jazz orchestra, Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville.
To mark the tenth anniversary of The Triplets of Belleville, Charest decided to present a live soundtrack, played in sync with the film, which has no actual dialogue, with the story told entirely through sound effects, music and visual action. The musical performance requires split-second timing and the use of some very unusual instruments including a teapot, a newspaper, and an upside down bicycle.
The 2002 animated film follows the kidnapping of a Tour de France cyclist, who is spirited across the ocean to the teeming metropolis of Belleville. His near-sighted grandmother and faithful dog follow his trail and are taken in by a trio of eccentric Jazz Era divas. The motley sleuths follow the clues to an underground speakeasy, where they entertain the crowd, and then the chase is on for the henchmen and her kidnapped grandson.
Charest will hold a discussion on music composition before the show, at 2 p.m. After the show, there will be a meet and greet reception with the artists in the lobby. Both are free.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Redfern Arts Center at Keene State College. Tickets are $18 to $32 depending on seating; call 358-2168 or visit keene.edu/arts/redfern to purchase.
Monitor staff