"Le Bug is a French bed bug who just wants to stay up past his bedtime with the audience, but we must be quiet so that the watchful mother does not stir and tell us off!" Le Page explains. "He's cheeky, charming and very hungry, so there's a chance that maybe, just possibly, they want to have a little nibble of the audience!"
Le Bug has been part of his creative repertoire for some time, gradually evolving from a sketch into something substantial enough to carry a full-length show. "The sketch that Le Bug was born in seemed to get longer and longer and more unhinged every night it was performed," Le Page recalls. "It was a character that never got old for me and I kept finding new stupid things to do with the him, and eventually reached a point where I just wanted to give him a whole hour, for better or worse!"
And this show, Le Bug has evolved into a mix of plenty of games and audience interaction. While he relinquishes a lot of control and embraces the chaos, Le Page assures me that it is always under control."Le Bug always knows where the night is going, and is looking after the audience," he says. "However, so much of the joy of performing this comes from the unplanned moments where the audience get to play and be playful with the bug. This has resulted in many memorable incidents on stage which include me choking on a croissant, being chased by someone called Chase, and accidentally starting a jazz hands band with the audience!"
So what can a French bug possibly teach us humans about the world? "I think it would be that it's okay to stay up past your bedtime. It's okay to let the bed bug bite. It's okay to be French maybe," he adds. "At the end of day, we are all tiny little bugs in a very big world, so go have a nibble of everything!" For audiences, Le Bug offers a far more enjoyable way to spend an hour with a bed bug than waking up to one in your sheets.
FRINGE FIVE FAST ONES
1. My pre-show ritual is 48 cigarettes, a croissant, and a panic attack.
2. If a song was to play each time I entered a room, it would be royalty free French cafe music.
3. If I could instantly become amazing at one skill, it would be the triple jump.
4. If I were forced to eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be a baguette with jambon.
5. The hill I will die on is bedtime is for losers.
1. My pre-show ritual is 48 cigarettes, a croissant, and a panic attack.
2. If a song was to play each time I entered a room, it would be royalty free French cafe music.
3. If I could instantly become amazing at one skill, it would be the triple jump.
4. If I were forced to eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be a baguette with jambon.
5. The hill I will die on is bedtime is for losers.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts, Carlton
Season: 14 - 18 October | Wed - Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $27 Full | $25 Conc | $20.25 Hump Day Wednesday
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival
Image credit: Philip Robertson
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