If there is only one show to see in Montreal, Complètement cirque, well, it is this one. This small troupe of Montreal artists, born from the thigh of 7 Doigts, offered us Wednesday night, one of the most original and inspiring performances of contemporary circus in recent years.
For a moment we thought that the Australians from Circa or even the virtuosos from Gandini were going to offer us the show that would be the highlight of this edition. Well no.
Not only did the six Montreal artists from People Watching – all graduates of the National Circus School of Montreal – offer us the festival’s favorite show, but they also created one of the most remarkable contemporary circus shows in recent years.
No more juggling pins, straps, trapeze or Cyr wheel… Play Dead is the equivalent of a long 70-minute sequence shot during which the six performers – all in their twenties – offer us the best of what can be seen in acrobatic dance. In a staging of masterful fluidity where the transitions literally blend into the show’s main pieces.
The action takes place in a typical apartment. Sofa, lamp, wardrobe, kitchen table. It is in this basic setting that the six characters of Play Dead will get to know each other, create bonds, become attached, argue, love each other, distance themselves, in short, it is the place where the human relationships that unite them will be explored, dissected, celebrated.
PHOTO ALEXANDRE GALLIEZ, PROVIDED BY COMPLETELY CIRQUE
Sabine Van Rensburg and Natahsa Patterson in one of the many duets of Play Dead
The theme itself is not new, but the acrobatic choreographies that this collective has created – this is their first show – are breathtaking.
Of course, the fact that they are all connected in life (they have spent a lot of time together during the pandemic) adds a layer of truth to the show, but there is an intensity and sincerity in the gesture, which combined with the movements – including some acrobatics never seen before – make this show quite unique.
There is something cinematic about it Play Deadthe creators’ references come from elsewhere in the 7e art (the Swede Roy Andersson or the Greek Yórgos Lánthimos).
Whether it’s the lighting (especially with this lamp that wanders around in a long dramatic segment), this impression of a sequence shot that we were talking about earlier or even the characters, who each play a role in this acrobatic piece that could be described as a “dramatic comedy”. A label that we would never dare to put on a circus show.
A comedy, yes, through these numerous dance duets. There are indeed some rather funny moments in Play Deadand right from the opening, when one of the characters pretends to talk to one of the girls, visibly disinterested, who nods politely, while stepping back… But all this is interspersed with quite tense moments too, and even touching ones, which give you goosebumps.
Segments that remind us a little of the beginnings of the 7 Doigts; the co-founders of the collective Gypsy Snider and Isabelle Chassé also worked on this show as artistic advisors.
The fact remains that this collective takes us elsewhere. Without circus apparatus and without words, they make us smile and move us. These six artists, who have the ambition to reinvent the circus of tomorrow, have just raised the bar high. Remember their names: Brin Schoellkopf, Jarrod Takle, Natasha Patterson, Jérémi Lévesque, Sabine Van Rensburg and Ruben Ingwersen. Let’s hope they continue their path with another creation.
Visit the page of Play Dead
Read our interview with the collective
Play Dead
From the People Watching collective
At the TohuUntil July 14