Compagnie XY put on a quaint, traditional performance for Circusfest at The Roundhouse sending Benjamin Goode back to summery France.
From Compagnie XY, Le Grand C is a no-nonsense circus show as far removed from the highly buffed brand-led Cirque du Soleil as Marie Antionette was from the dietary requirements of the populace. Nevertheless this does not blunt the sharp intake of breath as yet another petite Jouette is flung through the air to land a handstand on the upraised palms of the hirsute Chabalesque strong man.
It may be a contradiction in terms but it is the stripped down, unassuming and unmistakeably French manner that quietly draws you in until you slip off the edge of your seat, awestruck at what is unfolding before you. From the human towers that rise up only to collapse in a befuddled heap and the acrobatics of the aerialists to the beads of sweat that drip down the focused brow of the man at the base of a hernia-inducing human pyramid, this is circus at its traditional best.
The sparse staging has no hiding place, and means that Le Grand C, constantly teetering on the high wire of casual elegance and the smallest of slips that will cause these heavenly beings to come tumbling to earth with a bump, makes for very exciting viewing indeed.
Over the hour and a half (without interval) we become slightly inured to the somersaults, back-flips and frog-like clambering that is taking place at any one time. Using as props just a few coquettish glances, a log and a spring board, it is sometimes reminiscent of a Romany Circus passing through a small town – you half expect to leave The Roundhouse and walk into a quaint common in suburban France, amid games of petanque played by old people. Just don’t take the kids, as they might take it upon themselves to run away with them… on second thoughts, DO.
Circusfest runs at The Roundhouse until May 16th
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