Le Figaro10 October 2005
A downpour of ideas
Plic Ploc by Cirque Plume
Marion Thébaud
Circus. Just because we are under a big-top, does that mean we are at the circus? At first, we are in doubt. There is no circus ring, no menagerie, no blaring band, but instead there is a stage, beautiful lighting, Nadia Genez’s delicately dyed costumes, and performers that know how to do everything in the good old circus tradition. Yes, there are whiffs of a circus celebration in this show, invented by Bernard Kudlak, when we laugh at Patrick Barbenoire and Alain Mallet’s gags as they reinvent the clown genre, when we are amazed by Sylvaine Charrier’s flexibility as she slides around a hoop like a serpent, but even though the feats are there, they are never punctuated by a loud clash of the cymbals.
The feats are integrated into the troupe’s show where everyone, musician or acrobat, carries the same weight, has the same impact, and shows us their precarious situation - the vulnerability of an art that wants to be more poetic first, spectacular second. It is all about getting us to dream. Bernard Kudlak imagines a climactic disturbance. A first drop of water falls. One slides a bucket underneath to catch the drip: Plic! Another drop, Ploc! Here we go. Amongst the leaks, the water jets, the umbrellas, the multicoloured bubbles, the tarps, and the ladders, the performers juggle, leap, dance, and sing, creating a fantastical rainbow. Guillaume Montels, Maëlle Boijoux, Laura Smith, and Mark Pieklo, they should all be mentioned for their joyful vitality, flexible bodies and fine-tuned ears. These acrobat-musicians harmoniously play Robert Miny’s musical inventions as well as play with water just like children would. It is crazy what you can do with this element. An entire show. The history of water. For children aged 7 to 77 years old.