Sydney Festival: Bright Abyss created and directed by James Thierree, at Theatre Royal January 8-22 and 24-29, 8pm.
Brought up by his parents, Jean-Baptiste Thierree and Victoria Thierree Chaplin, from the age of 4 on tour with Le Cirque Imaginaire and Le Cirque Invisible, James Thierree has what one might call circus cred. He's still only 32, with acrobatic and dance skills which put any Olympic "artistic" gymnast to shame.
I saw his first creation, The Junebug Symphony, 3 years ago and enjoyed it as entertainment, but Bright Abyss successfully sets sail into the blue yonder. There is a story, told in wonderful images, rather like Shakespeare's The Tempest. It begins with a great wind, full of foreboding, threatening to destroy the lives of the five characters on their journey. 90 minutes later all have resolved the tangle of relationships which hold them back, often very funny to watch as well as exciting, sometimes frightening, sometimes touchingly sad. Finally they learn to go with the wind in a most beautiful scene with spinnaker billowing into the future.
Circus, dance and mime work was so impressive that a full house last Thursday applauded scene after scene, rising to a crescendo with 3 curtain calls. Thierree's directing made what might have been a series of circus-style acts into a work of strong dramatic structure which drew the audience into the lives of those on stage and reflected on our own experience - and gave hope that, working together, we may survive the abyss and find our way in some kind of harmony.
There was applause too for the performers indvidually, each with their own special skills and personality. Thierree is a marvellous mime, the still young Raphaelle Boitel - now just 22 - a seemingly jointless contortionist, Niklas Ek a true dancer (from the Royal Ballet Stockholm and the Nederlands Dans Theater), Brazilian capoeira dancer and tumbler Thiago Martins and the always surprising soprano and pianist Uma Ysamat from Spain.
Together they made a great celebration of performance, entertainment and life, deserving every handclap, cheer and whistle.
Book at Festival Ticketek 02 9266 4890 or www.sydneyfestival.org.au
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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