In 1998, the Théâtre de la Poudrière in Neuchâtel organised a writing contest of puppetry works, with the support of the Fondation Culturelle de la Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise (Cultural Foundation of Neuchâtel’s Cantonal Bank) in Switzerland. The contest was open to all French-speaking countries and met with great success – forty-three texts from Switzerland, France, Belgium, Canada and Senegal were submitted. Among these, Igor Hagard won first prize.

The show is made up of five “speeches” and the main set represents the inside of a bar in Iceland – only the fourth speech happens outside the bar, in the countryside. The figure of Erik le Rouge (Erik the Red) is a reference to the famous Norse explorer (circa 950-1003), and “Igor Hagard” is a tribute to Boby Lapointe’s song “Ta Katie t’a quitté” (1964).

In Igor’s bar in Iceland, Erik le Rouge observes a curious whale that seems to be waiting for something. He relates his unhappy childhood and his life as a sailor to the barman, Benêt (the simpleton) and Vieux (the old man). He realises that the stranger, who took shelter from the rain in the bar, is his old captain. However, the stranger does not recognise him and leaves the bar. Then, Erik remembers the captain’s name – Igor – just before he (Erik) is swallowed by the whale.