FESTIVAL: Carrousel Des Moutons

Carrousel Des Moutons

D'irque & Fen

10 October 2014

Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne

to 12 October

melbournefestival.com.au

Photo by Fabien Debrabander

Belgium duo Dirk Can Boxelaere and Fien Van Herwegen – who met in 2005 when circus performer Dirk broke his leg and used his down time to have piano lessons from Fien – won hearts and fans on their first trip to Melbourne in 2013 with Oh Suivant!.  Carrousel Des Moutons is even more gorgeous.

Dirk's in his stripy pjs and is ready to sleep, but Fien's playing her piano, her flying piano! With extraordinary balance, tumbling, juggling and love-filled clowing, Dirk's struggle for bed-time overcomes gravity, Fien's original music, and a gasping and squealing audience (and that's just the grown ups) to finally settle and be able to count des moutons (sheep) – and the carousel of sheep is so lovely and surprising that I'm it'll make me smile and relax the next time insomnia strikes.

Here's circus-theatre made for children that never condescends to it's younger audience, while never forgetting the oldies.  It's a pure enchantment and, while the Festival is only two days old, it's my highlight so far.

This was on AussieTheatre.com.

Review: Oh Suivant

Oh Suivant

Arts Centre Melbourne, Explosive Media

15 January 2013

Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne

to 27 January

artscentremelbourne.com.au

If you're looking for a terrific show for fussy audiences, Oh Suivant at the Arts Centre won hearts and kept everyone's attention – even the grown ups!

This two-person circus from Belgium melds trick, live music and theatre in a work that's created for little ones, but enchants everyone and refuses to treat children as anything but the most intelligent and discerning audience.

Juggler and balancer extraordinaire Dirk Van Boxelaere and musician Fien Van Herwegan delight with a gentle and gorgeous work that feels like it's from a 1940s circus tent from a world where entertainment was made by live people instead of electronics. There's room for more story in the character and trick, but the characters are so lovely and the tricks so slick that it wasn't a problem.

But it is a show to be enjoyed with children. There were as many small as big people in today's 11 am audience and everyone was having fun (and if only it were ok to ask "Why is the man on the table?" and other questions during non-kid shows). I was with a 7-month-old who bounced and giggled for an hour and a nearly-three-year-old who couldn't tell me what her favourite bit was because she loved it all.

Suivant is a perfect introduction to theatre and promises to create a love of theatre in little hearts and may even re-ignite that love in some of the older ones.

This was on AussieTheatre.com