Directed by
James Thierree
Costumes by
Victoria Thierree
and Manon Ginoux
Lighting by
Jerome Sabre
Sound by
Thomas Delot
Stage by
Marc moura
and Guillaume Pissembon
Wardrobe and
Props by
Liliane Herin
Assistant Director
Sidonie Pigeon
Company Manager
Emmanuelle Taccard
Performed by
James Thierree
Satchie Noro
Kaori Ito
Magnus Jakobsson
Maria Sendow
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James Thierree
'Au Revoir Parapluie'
Sadler's Wells
30 Oct - 10 Nov 2007
James Thierree is something of a genius: he is an exceptional acrobat and mime artist, with a sense of humour to match any stand-up comic. In his most recent production, Au Revoir Parapluie, Thierree offers an awe-inspiring compilation of circus acts, crazy dance and theatre. Joined by the elfin-like Kaori Ito, the gracious aerialist Satchie Noro and Magnus Jakobsson, who plays the buffoon, the clueless caretaker, Thierree gives us a world of wonder. Grand set designs by Marc Moura and Guillaume Pissembon, and rhythmic music by Thomas Delot, heighten the sensory experience further.
Aside from its unpredictability, and the magical quality of the cast's performance, what makes the production marvellous is Thierree's astute, satirical observations of human nature. For he is not just a masterly acrobat, with a body as versatile as mercury, he is also a thinker insightfully concerned with our social condition and our states of mind. He makes fun of our weaknesses, our fears, our neuroses, and repeatedly, with sharp, dry wit, reflects back at his audience images of Man at his most ridiculous: those everyday moments when people just act plain silly. At one point he might convey the existential crisis of a middle-aged family man, at another he plays on the absurd dynamics between two lovers. The mischievous poking-of-fun is irresistible and whether he is miming to the strains of an Italian opera, giving incomprehensible directions to a lost tourist, or writhing about on a rocking chair, he never fails to amaze. His technique is dazzling, for it is so multi-dimensional - sometimes he is the tragic clown figure, at others he is as an excitable child, full of innocence and naievety. The jokes, though, are always tempered by an undercurrent of gentle irony.
But besides the unflagging humour there is deep emotion in the work, too - beautifully expressed by the Swedish singer Maria Sendow, who embellishes scenes with her extraordinary voice and flamboyant costumes.
We here have a show that, throughout its ninety minutes, makes you forget the stresses of life and takes you to a funny and joyful place. Like his grandfather Charlie Chaplin, Thierree turns confusion and bewilderment about the world into a celebration of human inadequacy. His audience laughs with him; and stands to give him an ovation at the end.
Florence Mackenzie
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