[1] In this case they relate to the life and the crimes of Marc Dutroux, who kidnapped, raped and murdered with the help of some accomplices a series of children in the 90s in Belgium.
"[5] With the life and the crimes of Marc Dutroux as a starting point he searches in Five Easy Pieces for the limits of "what children know, feel and do", and explores what is acceptable and unacceptable for the spectators.
[1] In the Dutroux affair a number of important historical events concerning Belgium converge: from the loss of the Congo colony to the closure of the coal mines.
The children then take up live, act the scene simultaneously on the theatre stage, and continue playing while the only adult actor - in the role of director - films and encourages them.
[9][6] What Milo Rau was interested in was to show the audience that a director, just like Marc Dutroux, is always a manipulator to a certain extent and that there exists a power game between him and his actors (especially if they are children).
The actors on stage are Rachel Dedain, Aimone De Zordo, Fons Dumont, Arno John Keys, Maurice Leerman, Pepijn Loobuyck, Willem Loobuyck, Blanche Ghyssaert, Polly Persyn, Lucia Redondo, Peter Seynaeve, Pepijn Siddiki, Elle Liza Tayou, Winne Vanacker, Hendrik Van Doorn and Eva Luna Van Hijfte.
In Belgium, the production was performed in Aalst, Brussels, Charleroi, Genk, Ghent, Mons, Namur, Ostend, Roeselare, Turnhout, Waregem and Zaventem.
In addition, the production travelled around the world with an extensive series of performances in Argentina, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Hungary, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil, the United States and Japan.
Based on a poll among about fifty critics, the German specialist journal Theater Heute proclaimed Five easy pieces as best production of the year.
Milo Rau does it, and in his way in a splendid way: the subject matter of Five Easy Pieces is the Dutroux affair, but at the same time it is about playing, about manipulation and abuse of power in the world, outside and in theatre.
"[14] In the Dutch newspaper NRC culture editor Herien Wensink wrote: "You could blame director Milo Rau - public impact is guaranteed - but the execution is subdued and integer, the result powerful and disruptive.
"[10] Journalist Magali Degrande wrote in the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad: "Five Easy Pieces makes you shiver and smile, a nacre pickaxe that reveals hidden basements and rolls flat over them.
[23][24] In October 2016 Milo Rau received the Special Prize of the Jury 2016 for Five Easy Pieces from the Belgian Prix de la Critique Théâtre et Danse.