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Marcel Lucont, AKA Alexis Dubus, brings two "French" shows to Rochester Fringe Festival.
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Marcel Lucont would probably rub the French the wrong way if Alexis Dubus wasn’t the one hiding behind the alias.
With French heritage on his father's side but raised in England, Dubus took the worst of both worlds and created two irreverent, interactive shows for kids and adults. He will perform the shows — “Whine List” and “Les Enfants Terribles” — for a local audience at the Rochester Fringe Festival from September 13-21.
"There’s probably a certain respect for the sort of brashness of Marcel, or, the outspoken nature of Marcel, that I think New York, especially, will go for," said Dubus.
The Marcel Lucont character began as an experiment nearly 16 years ago.
“I wanted to play someone who didn't put any energy into the room, who was all about them, who didn't seem to care what the next act was,” he said. “And I thought it'd be a funny thing to do, and I would draw on my Frenchness."
Now, the Lucont character is well-appreciated by audiences in the United Kingdom. It was there, at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, that Dubus’s first-ever children’s show, “Les Enfants Terribles - A Gameshow for Awful Children” caught the attention of Rochester Fringe Festival CEO Erica Fee.
“I've known of (Dubus’s) work for years as he's well-known in the UK — he is brilliant and hilarious,” she said. “When (we had) the opportunity to bring him to Rochester with not one, but two U.S. premieres in the Spiegeltent, (we jumped) at that opportunity!”
In “Whine List,” Dubus, as Lucont, interacts directly with the audience, inviting them to share their complaints and grievances in a comedic therapy session.
"It's way more exciting because everyone gets a different show every time," he said. The spontaneity keeps the comedian and the audience on their toes, making every performance exclusive—a show “fait sur mesure.”
For the younger audience, “Les Enfants Terribles” is a game show where kids compete to prove who is the worst (as if they need to be challenged to do it). Marcel's disdainful, yet playful attitude towards children creates a fun playground for the kids and a nightmare for their parents.
"Kids really respond if you don't talk down to them,” he said. “If you just treat them with disdain, they get it.”
As a significant portion of his online following — particularly TikTok — hails from the U.S., Dubus is excited about bringing Marcel Lucont to New York.
"I think New York especially will go for it. Rochester will really go for it," he said. "I've tried to become Marcel as much as I can. The songs and poetry, the live band, all of this stuff. It's all just kind of year after year added on for me to become what Marcel needs to be."
His character and shows must always evolve; after all, there is no ennui in France. Alexis Dubus as Marcel Lucont at the Rochester Fringe Festival will offer la crème de la crème: the cool attitude and brashness of the French mixed with sarcasm and an ‘I’m better than everyone English’ bit. After conquering the United Kingdom, the half-French Dubus is prepared to steal American hearts — and laughs — of all ages.
"Marcel Lucont's Whine List" | Spiegeltent | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 18+ | Tickets start at $36
"Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles. A Gameshow for Awful Children" | Spiegeltent | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 18+ | Tickets start at $36
Mathilde Refloch is a Goldring Arts, Style & Culture Journalism graduate student at the Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University. The cohort previewed Fringe as part of a summer class.
With French heritage on his father's side but raised in England, Dubus took the worst of both worlds and created two irreverent, interactive shows for kids and adults. He will perform the shows — “Whine List” and “Les Enfants Terribles” — for a local audience at the Rochester Fringe Festival from September 13-21.
"There’s probably a certain respect for the sort of brashness of Marcel, or, the outspoken nature of Marcel, that I think New York, especially, will go for," said Dubus.
The Marcel Lucont character began as an experiment nearly 16 years ago.
“I wanted to play someone who didn't put any energy into the room, who was all about them, who didn't seem to care what the next act was,” he said. “And I thought it'd be a funny thing to do, and I would draw on my Frenchness."
Now, the Lucont character is well-appreciated by audiences in the United Kingdom. It was there, at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, that Dubus’s first-ever children’s show, “Les Enfants Terribles - A Gameshow for Awful Children” caught the attention of Rochester Fringe Festival CEO Erica Fee.
“I've known of (Dubus’s) work for years as he's well-known in the UK — he is brilliant and hilarious,” she said. “When (we had) the opportunity to bring him to Rochester with not one, but two U.S. premieres in the Spiegeltent, (we jumped) at that opportunity!”
In “Whine List,” Dubus, as Lucont, interacts directly with the audience, inviting them to share their complaints and grievances in a comedic therapy session.
"It's way more exciting because everyone gets a different show every time," he said. The spontaneity keeps the comedian and the audience on their toes, making every performance exclusive—a show “fait sur mesure.”
For the younger audience, “Les Enfants Terribles” is a game show where kids compete to prove who is the worst (as if they need to be challenged to do it). Marcel's disdainful, yet playful attitude towards children creates a fun playground for the kids and a nightmare for their parents.
"Kids really respond if you don't talk down to them,” he said. “If you just treat them with disdain, they get it.”
As a significant portion of his online following — particularly TikTok — hails from the U.S., Dubus is excited about bringing Marcel Lucont to New York.
"I think New York especially will go for it. Rochester will really go for it," he said. "I've tried to become Marcel as much as I can. The songs and poetry, the live band, all of this stuff. It's all just kind of year after year added on for me to become what Marcel needs to be."
His character and shows must always evolve; after all, there is no ennui in France. Alexis Dubus as Marcel Lucont at the Rochester Fringe Festival will offer la crème de la crème: the cool attitude and brashness of the French mixed with sarcasm and an ‘I’m better than everyone English’ bit. After conquering the United Kingdom, the half-French Dubus is prepared to steal American hearts — and laughs — of all ages.
"Marcel Lucont's Whine List" | Spiegeltent | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 18+ | Tickets start at $36
"Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles. A Gameshow for Awful Children" | Spiegeltent | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 18+ | Tickets start at $36
Mathilde Refloch is a Goldring Arts, Style & Culture Journalism graduate student at the Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University. The cohort previewed Fringe as part of a summer class.
