As of January 7, 2013, this website will serve as an archive site only. For news, reviews and a connection with audience and creators of theatre all over the country, please go to The Charlebois Post - Canada.

Search This Blog

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Review: Circo Hiverno

Full Circo
...I really wouldn’t mind getting stuck in a blackout with the cast as my neighbours...
by Valerie Cardinal
Circo Hiverno isn’t a linear play; it’s a circus. Its various acts, which range from yo-yo demonstrations to clowns, are tied together with one very loose narrative thread. The performers are all living in the same building, and the audience is witnessing their performances as their neighbours would.
It really puts into question how well you know your own neighbours. For all you know, that guy next door could be an amazing trapeze artist. At least, that’s Circo Hiverno’s theory, and I really wouldn’t mind getting stuck in a blackout with the cast as my neighbours; at least you know you’d be entertained. 

...it’s not as polished as a Cirque du Soleil show would be, but that’s the whole point...

The cast, led by juggler Aytahn Ross, launch into performances you wouldn’t expect from the TSC’s tiny black stage. The Montreal International Jazz Festival’s Kim Zombik is stunning as the drunk crooner next door. 

Circo Hiverno bills itself as a bilingual show, but it hardly matters as the performances speak for themselves. It doesn’t matter what the ringmaster is saying when you’re watching an aerialist execute a death drop from two red ribbons hanging from the ceiling. 
Circo Hiverno also features The Silly People, two specialists in yo-yos and diabolos. Their segment was a flashback to the ‘90s in the best way possible. TSC favourite Lise Vigneault is also there as a mailman clown. 
Circo Hiverno is fun, family-friendly and a little rough around the edges. Evidently, it’s not as polished as a Cirque du Soleil show would be, but that’s the whole point; the possibility for spontaneity and the small venue make the show feel intimate. It’s no longer about being an audience and a cast of actors; it’s about being neighbours having a ball and warming up in the middle of a brutal Montreal winter. Don’t go in expecting a life-changing show, but do expect to laugh and be entertained.
Run time: 1h30

2 comments:

  1. I REALLY want to check this out. Their preview at the QDF launch was the business.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DO check it out Tamara. Saw it last night. Total fun.

    ReplyDelete

Please read our guidelines for posting comments.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.