Dark Circus
Stereoptik
6 October 2017
Beckett Theatre, Coopers Malthouse
to 9 October
www.festival.melbourne
stereoptik.com
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| Dark Circus. Photo by Christophe Raynaud de Lage |
Dark Circus is made with sand, ink, paper, shadows, puppets, water, music, love and absolute magic.
Romain Bermond and Jean-Baptiste Maillet are Stereoptik from France. They have been working together for nine years and this is their first time in Australia. Please don't look at their website until after you've seen Dark Circus because it would be a shame to even hint of the surprise and heart-fluttering joy of spending an hour with them.
With live music and live animation projected onto a screen, there's no secret about how they create their story. But watching it being created makes the experience all the more extraordinary – gasp-out-loud, eyes-light-up, happy-tears extraordinary.
A circus puts up its tent in a city that's so sad that it can only be seen in black, white and grays. The hoped for wonder of the circus doesn't appear as disaster befalls each act.
But hope grows from a dark humour that's so beautiful that it's impossible to even think about being sad.
Describing the animation can only do it a disservice, as what seems obvious and easy creates images that surpass the logic of their creation.
They are in Melbourne until Sunday. Don't think about this one, get a ticket because it's like having your heart kissed.
