Compagnie MPTA /
Mathurin Bolze (France)
Du Goudron et des Plumes
(Tar and Feathers) UK Premiere
Barbican Theatre >
Wed 26 > Sat 29 Jan
Wed - Sat
7.45pm
Meet the Artists: Thu 27 Jan
Runs 75 mins / no interval
Book online >
£16 - £28
Tel: 0845 121 6839
‘extraordinary... exhilarating circus-theatre. Full of bounding energy, grace and beauty’. The Guardian
Read the full 5 star review from Lyn Gardner >
‘a goldmine of ideas, beautiful, clever, simply superb’. Le Monde
Inspired by John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel Of Mice and Men, this remarkable new French circus-theatre production explores friendship, co-operation and trust.
Five strangers, perhaps exiles or survivors of a violent storm, are thrown together on a pitching, rolling vessel adrift somewhere between earth and sky. It’s a tale about those who fight to keep their feet on reality’s shifting ground. The combination of thrilling acrobatics, bewitching lighting, music, an ingenious set that’s in a state of almost constant motion makes this a performance of both great beauty and heart-stopping tension.
One of today’s most original and brilliant young circus creators, Mathurin Bolze has worked with many leading French artists including Josef Nadj, Francois Verret, Jérôme Thomas and Archaos. His work has featured regularly at the Festival in recent years, notably Fénêtres (Laban 2005), Tangentes (Barbican 2007) and Ali (ICA 2009). He was awarded France’s prestigious Prix du Cirque in 2009.
7 years +
Presented in association with the Barbican
Coproduction: La Brèche, Cherbourg; Les Subsistances, Lyon; L’Agora, Boulazac; Le Parc de la Villette, Paris; La Verrerie d’Alès en Cévennes; le Cratère, Alès; Théâtre des Salins Scène Nationale de Martigues; Théâtre National de Bretagne, Rennes; Scène nationale 61, Alençon; Grand Théâtre de Lorient, Le Trident-Scène National de Cherbourg-Octeville.
Compagnie MPTA is supported by Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Région Rhone Alpes, Ville de Lyon, Culturesfrance and Institut français. This visit to London is supported by CulturesFrance and Institut français du Royaume-Uni.
photos: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
