Le Petit journal.com27 November 2009
L’atelier du peintre
Cirque Plume is performing under the big top in Parc de la Villette in Paris until 20 December. One hour and fifty minutes of pure magic, poetry and spectacle during which the audience can watch the latest offering from the company, entitled L’atelier du peintre (The Artist’s studio).
Since it was formed in 1984, Cirque Plume has put on 9 shows. The latest, l’Atelier du peintre, takes the spectator to the heart of the creation of a picture, and beyond. Currently showing beneath the big top in Parc de la Villette (until 20 December), the show will then go on tour around France until 2011. Poetic, artistic, funny, moving, impressive... this show stirs the emotions and enchants both young and old. The 13 performers on stage allow us to discover the art of painting and the magic of the circus through a series of paintings, each one more enchanting than the last. The delightful spectacle takes us into the artist’s studio, and even right into the canvasses painted by the masters, where the protagonists are gradually transformed into figures that are as familiar to the performers as they are for the audience.
The art of the modern circus
Modern circuses combine traditional disciplines with a thematic thread to create a story, an ambiance. Here, the troop takes us into the studio of an artist, seen dreaming over his canvasses, imagining them, painting them, even living them. This journey into the mind of the painter is punctuated by circus acts, each one more impressive and moving than the last. Acrobats, trampolines, jugglers, clowns and music, everything combines to captivate the audience. We laugh at the antics of the clowns, tremble in the face of the death-defying acts of the acrobats, we are moved by the story line, the staging, the painting, the artistes... How could you fail to be moved by the young girl executing the German wheel routine with such suppleness and grace? It’s impossible not to be moved by hand-to-hand balancing acts and trampolinists who are so light on their feet and expressive, listening to the festive, cheerful music... In brief, l’Atelier du peintre by Cirque Plume is an uplifting show to be enjoyed by the whole family, and is not to be missed!
Perrine Roux