This tribute surely left many feeling lost in space.
A Spanish carnival troupe dressed up as legendary scientist Stephen Hawking and zipped around in wheelchairs before delivering a wacky performance to raise ALS awareness, wild videos show.
Twelve men, donning Hawking-style wigs and outfits, hunched in wheelchairs and mimicked the late physicist’s gestures and iconic robotic voice during a 30-minute musical performance at the Official Carnival Groups Competition in Cádiz Wednesday, according to Spanish outlets.
Hawking, who died from complications related to the debilitating neurological disorder in 2018, was one of the most famous voices in the sciences even as he communicated via a synthesized-speech box.
The group – whose quirky act was titled “A Chirigota in Theory” – initially went viral on social media as they wheeled their electric chairs across cobblestoned streets in the city’s capital, singing together in unison, as a bewildered crowd watched in disbelief.
“It was an all-or-nothing idea,” the group’s author, Miguel Ángel Llull, said, acknowledging the bizarre stunt was a risky idea that aimed to embrace dark humor without offending anyone.
“Don’t be offended, this is just for laughs.”
Once on stage at the Falla Theatre, the Hawking impersonators remained in their wheelchairs as confetti rained down, belting songs that paid tribute to the British scientist famous for his theories of space, time, black holes, and relativity, according to a video shared on YouTube.
While the troupe’s performance drew laughs from the audience, their lyrics delivered heartfelt messages spotlighting ALS: “I triumphed all on my own,” Spanish outlets reported.
Another song praised Hawking: “With my will to live and my wheelchair, I have reached the very top, even the stars.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s preliminary round, the group invited the ALS Association of Andalusia to their dress rehearsal, where patients offered their blessing to perform the act, which earned them a standing ovation during the competition.
“We tend to be committed to these issues because Paco [the director] works with people with disabilities; the idea was to give them a voice and visibility,” Llull said.
Once the competition is over, the group plans to donate the 12 wheelchairs to ALS patients in need.
“They are real chairs that cost us 400 euros each,” Llull said.
“Since we’re carrying the load, we might as well do the deed.”
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