Presented by James Thiérrée La Compagnie du Hanneton France in association with Adelaide Festival
Reviewed Friday 2nd March 2012
A co-production with La Coursive Scène, Nationale de La Rochelle, Théâtre Royal de Namur, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand, Théâtre de la Vil e Paris, barbicanbite09 (Barbican Theatre, London) and Crying Out Loud, Abbey Theatre Dublin, Maison de la Danse Lyon, Théâtre National de Toulouse. La Compagnie du Hanneton is supported by Fondation BNP Paribas.
The first international production for my Festival was this quite amazing performance, designed, directed and performed by James Thiérrée. This is a rich and varied evening of physical theatre encompassing a number of performance genres including acrobatics, magic, and dance. The premise is that there are two Raouls, one seemingly determined to destroy the makeshift habitat of the other.
The stage is surrounded by huge, tatty, patched sheets, and a large structure made of scaffolding rods and looking somewhat like an Indian tepee, dominates the space. It is this structure that is the home for one Raoul and the target of the other. One defends as the other destroys. Thiérrée is not quite alone, though, as creatures appear, such as a jellyfish, an armoured insect, rather like the cybermats from Doctor Who, and even an elephant.
He flies in the air, he runs up the scaffolding structure as sure-footedly as a mountain goat, he even holds up a mirror to himself, briefly showing both Raouls in opposition, before moving it between himself and the audience, only to reappear elsewhere and take the mirror from himself, revealing that there is nobody behind it after all.
The lighting, music and sound effects all work in closely with the action, which is complex and infinitely varied. There is just so much to watch in this work in which only a very words are spoken, relying on the physicality and imagery to convey the narrative. People will be talking about this performance for a long time.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor, Glam Adelaide.
Venue: Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Season: to Tues 6th March 2012
Duration: 100min (no interval)
Tickets: $30 to $99
Bookings: BASS 131 246, BASS outlets, or online
Photography by Richard Haughton/Christophe Calais
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