Le Figaro Magazine5 July 2013
Plume(s) Panache
Thirty years walking the wire between extreme novelty and great tradition has been the exercise to which Cirque Plume has devoted itself. In order to celebrate its three decades of daring and success, Plume has created a new show: Tempus Fugit ?. In truth, it is the quintessence of the spirit which has always governed the inventions of “new circus”: a very traditional offering of circus arts with its comedians and well-known numbers, but without an ounce of tackiness. Everything follows on in a fluid and natural manner, something which owes a great deal to the original soundtrack by Benoît Schick. The composer combines piano and wind instruments with passages which are sometimes intimate, sometimes blaring, but which always give the impression that the show was designed as a ballet, with the music, gestures and story being inseparable. Musically, it is an enchantment; and the rest is the tuning fork. The comedians have understood that real laughter is produced by gestures and onomatopoeia, without necessarily being vulgar. Here, children and adults laugh out loud at the tricks and jokes, some of them too obvious to be believable, but they are always exhilarating and combine finesse and intelligence. But let’s not recount them, because you will lose the delicious suspense of surprise. Our only regret is one scene which felt pointless and overly long, where the curtains try to outline space. But, we greatly appreciated the scenery, the costumes... and the special effects, such as the floor which is revealed by the artists’ footsteps or the take-off of periods of life presented like a life-insurance advert. This very complete show pays tribute to all circus disciplines, including the main aerial acts: tightrope walking, Chinese pole and trapeze. At the end of the show, Maxime Pythoud gives a breathtaking presentation of the Cyr wheel (named after its inventor, Daniel Cyr from Cirque Eloize). The artists move between music and acrobatics, comedy and dance and in this good-natured atmosphere, time stands still. What a delight to see children having such fun with a show that will continue to make them dream long after they have returned home. Highly recommended.
François DELÉTRAZ