M'AP BOULE' - The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre

Nancy Denis - Mick Stuart (Keyboard) - "M'ap Boule'"

Writer, Creator & Performer:  Nancy Denis –  Directed by: Anthea Williams

Dramaturgy by Liza-Mare Syron – Composer Carl St Jacques

Musical Director & Performer: Victoria Falconer – Set & Costume design by Maite’ Inae

Lighting Design by Karen Norris – Performer: Kween G Kibone – Drums: Mick Stuart

The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. August 8^th, 2025.

Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Victoria Falconer (violin) - Nancy Denis - Mick Stuart (Keyboard)

Every so often one comes across a performer and a performance, so unique, authentic, and extraordinary, that it defies categorisation, or even a description that does it justice.

 Such is the case with Nancy Denis and her show M’ap Boule’.

According to Denis, the words M’ap Boul’e are Haitian Creole for “I’m on Fire”. 

Denis certainly lives up to that description, powered by her enthusiasm to spread the word on Haition history.  Who would have thought history could be so entertaining?

Although Australian born from Haitian parents, Denis’s passion for the history of her ancestors was ignited when as a small child a relative revealed that he killed people in their sleep.

From the moment Denis steps onto the stage, there’s an electric charge in the air—a sense that the audience is about to witness something both intimate and spectacular. Her storytelling weaves personal anecdotes with broader cultural narratives, drawing the crowd into her exploration of heritage, identity, and belonging. With each shift in pace and tone, Denis blurs the line between performer and participant, inviting everyone present to share in her journey of self-discovery.

Music, movement, and memory intertwine as Denis navigates the complexities of her dual worlds—Australian and Haitian—highlighting how histories are inherited but also constantly reinvented. The raw honesty and humour she brings to every scene ensure that, even in the show’s most poignant moments, there is space for laughter and connection.

How she reconciled her life as a child in Redfern, with a mother obsessed with Young Talent Time and E Street, and stories of how her black slave ancestors revolted against French and British colonial oppressors, resulting in a free sovereign state ruled by non-whites, becomes the gist for this absorbing, delightfully frank, refreshingly uninhibited, and surprisingly educational cabaret.

Directed with insight and a gentle hand by Anthea Williams, who allows her the freedom to constantly surprise, shock and convulse her audience with her unconstrained exuberance,  Denis is  also armed with a repertoire of original songs by Carl St Jacques that express her passion for her ancestry.

Because besides being a compelling raconteur, Denis is also an extraordinary singer with a voice capable of raising the roof in anger or whisper sweet with compassion and empathy.

A trio of accomplished colleagues surround Denis and her songs with striking accompaniments.

Kween G Kibone - Victoria Falconer (Accordian) - "M'ap Boule'"

Rap artist, backing singer, and occasional dresser, Kween G Kibone demonstrates talent worthy of her own showcase. Similarly, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Victoria Falconer, excels on the singing saw, accordion, violin, keyboards, and just about anything else she can get her hands on, while percussionist Mick Stuart impresses with his ability to constantly alternate between drums and keyboards.

Packaged in a setting of dozens of lit candles and a large circular screen for projected images,  M’ap Boule’  not only provides Denis with a compelling showcase for her many talents, which also include tap-dancing, courtesy of the Performing Arts College she attended, it also guarantees anyone lucky enough to experience it, 90 minutes of unique and captivating theatre.

                                                      Images by Jacqui Manning

     This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEWS www.artsreview.com.au