Tricicle

Tricicle (Catalan: [tɾiˈsi.klə]) is a Spanish physical-comedy group consisting of Joan Gràcia, Francesc ''Paco'' Mir, and Carles Sans. Founded in 1979, the group initially performed short sketches in public spaces and alternative venues.^[1] The members were students at Barcelona's Institut del Teatre, where they specialized in pantomime and dramatic arts.

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2016)

This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. (May 2016)

Quick facts Comedy career, Years active ...

Tricicle
Tricicle in 2013. Sans (left), Mir (center) and Gràcia (right)

Comedy career
Years active	1979–present
Genre	Sketch comedy

In 1982, after several seasons of performing at alternative venues, they made their professional circuit debut at the Sala Villarroel in Barcelona. Their show consisted of a compilation of sketches developed during their time performing in "cafés-teatro" (bars and cafés offering live performances). The production, titled Manicomic, achieved both critical and commercial success and won a prize at the Sitges International Theater Festival that same year.^[2]

In 1982, Tricicle premiered their first production, Manicomic, at the Sala Villarroel. Manicomic was a collection of gags created over a three-year period. That same year, they received a prize at the Sitges International Theater Festival.^[3]^[4]

Recognition in Spain

In 1983, the group met television director Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, who invited them to perform a sketch on the TV show Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez. They presented a parody of Julio Iglesias's song "Soy un truhan, soy un señor."

Following this exposure, Tricicle premiered their show Exit in 1884. The production toured extensively across Spain, and the group was subsequently invited to perform in several other countries.

Slastic

In 1986, Tricicle premiered their third production, Slastic, a series of comic situations centered on sports. In November 2004, the group selected this work to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Later, Tricicle joined two other groups in Spain, Dagoll Dagom and Append, to found the production company "3xtr3s" (three by three). In addition to producing shows for three companies and other groups, the company leased the historic Teatre Victòria in Barcelona for 20 years.^[5] The first production staged by "3xtr3s" at the theatre was Botiga dels horrors (The Little Shop of Horrors) by Howard Ashman, which received critical acclaim.

Maturity

In 1992, the trio premiered its fourth production, Terrrific. That same year, they produced a second TV series, Festivals, and began preparing their first short film. On August 9, 1992, they performed at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium during the closing ceremony of the Barcelona Olympic Games.^[6] This marked the first comic performance included in an Olympic ceremony.

Terrrific was followed in 1996 by Entretrés, which toured multiple cities over more than three years.

In 1999, they premiered Tricicle 20, an anthology of sketches from previous productions commemorating the group’s twentieth anniversary.

In 2002, the group premiered Sit, a collection of comic situations involving a chair. The show ran for three months at a theater in Paris in the winter of 2004.

On 3 November 2004, Tricicle celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event attended by more than 15,000 spectators at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. The event (co-produced with the daily newspaper Sport, which also celebrated its 25th anniversary) was called "25 + 25" and featured a special recreation of Slastic. Several prominent athletes, including Ángel Nieto, Miguel Indurain, Alex Corretja, Sergi Bruguera, Ronaldinho, and Hristo Stoichkov participated by performing in individual gags. Comedians including Millán Salcedo, Santiago Segura, and Pepe Rubianes also took part.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2005, Tricicle toured internationally in countries including China, Tunisia, Portugal, Austria, and Argentina. In 2018, the group retired from stage performances.^[7]

In 2023, Tricicle received the Max Award of Honour for their contributions to the performing arts in Spain.^[8] More recently, the group partnered with CaixaBank to raise awareness about fraud.^[9]

History

Recognition in Spain

Slastic

Maturity

Theatre

Film

Television

Special events

Awards

References

Wikiwand - on