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. The members were students at Barcelona's Institut del Teatre, where they studied pantomime and dramatic arts.
In 1982, Tricicle made their professional circuit debut at the Sala Villarroel in Barcelona. The show consisted of a compilation of sketches, as developed during their performances in "cafés-teatro" (bars and cafés offering live performances). The production, titled Manicomic won a prize at the Sitges International Theatre Festival the same year.
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History
In 1982, Tricicle premiered their first production, Manicomic, at the Sala Villarroel. Manicomic was a collection of gags, created over three years. That same year, they received a prize at the Sitges International Theater Festival.
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 truhán, soy un señor."
Following this exposure, Tricicle premiered their show Exit in 1984. The production toured across Spain and led to invitations to perform in several other countries.
Later productions
In 1986, Tricicle premiered their third production, Slastic, a series of comic sketches 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. The first production staged by "3xtr3s" at the theatre was Botiga dels horrors (The Little Shop of Horrors) by Howard Ashman.
Maturity (1990s–2000s)
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. This marked the first comic performance included in an Olympic ceremony.
Terrrific was followed in 1996 by Entretres, which toured multiple cities over 3+ 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 during the winter of 2004.
On November 3, 2004, Tricicle celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. The event, co-produced with the newspaper Sport (also celebrating 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.
By 2005, Tricicle had toured internationally in countries including China, Tunisia, Portugal, Austria, and Argentina. In 2018, the group retired from live stage performances.
In 2023, Tricicle received the Max Award of Honour for their contributions to the performing arts in Spain. In 2025, the group partnered with CaixaBank in a campaign to raise awareness of fraud.
Theatre
1982: Manicomic
1984: Exit
1986: Slastic
1992: Terrrific
1996: Entretres
1999: Tricicle 20
2002: Sit
2007: Garrick
2012: Bits
2017: Hits
Film
Features:
1995: Palace
Shorts:
1993: Quien mal anda, mal acaba
1995: David
1996: Mendigos sin fronteras
1997: Polvo eres
2002: Sit (documentary)
Television
1987: Tres Estrelles
1992: Fiestas populares
1994: Xoooof!
1999: Pecera de BTV
2000–2003: Dinamita
2005: Teletipos
2005: Trilita
2010: Més Dinamita
Special events
1992: Juegos Paralímpicos (Paralympic Games)
1992: Closing Ceremony of the Barcelona '92 Olympics
1992: Seville Expo '92
1993: Special Olympics
2004: 25 + 25
Awards
Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts, 2009
Max Award of Honour, 2023