La Veillee des Abysses
When I die and go to heaven, I would like James Thierree to be in charge of the entertainment. With this uplifting and inspirational show, he has proved once again that he can turn the mundane into the magical, the ordinary into the extraordinary. I am sure God will give him the job.
Here he has gathered a diverse group of artists - Spanish soprano Uma Ysamat, graceful French contortionist/acrobat Raphaelle Boitel, Brazilian capoeira expert Thiago Martins and Swedish dance legend Niklas Ek - and spun them into a bewilderingly joyous concoction.
When the golden gauze lifts to reveal its secrets, we sit like children, open-mouthed, staring in wonder as events - both exciting and unexpected - unfold. A huge circular rig is suspended above the stage, which is strewn with props - furniture, umbrellas, books and Ysamat’s piano. Lit by Jerome Sabre and with an eclectic mix of costumes by Victoria Thierree Chaplin and Cidalia Da Costa, it all looks gorgeous.
Visual jokes come thick and fast and Thierree shows his clowning pedigree with wonderful spots involving a newspaper and a chair. His acrobatic interlude with Boitel on a huge pair of baroque gates is dazzling, and Martins’ speed somersaults, backed by Nina Simone’s version of Lilac Wine, sensational. Mythical creatures evolve out of nowhere and Thomas Delot’s sound helps to conjure up storms that literally knock the artists off their feet.
La Veillee’s glorious silliness makes you laugh out loud, its beauty breaks your heart.
Production information
- Cast:
- Raphaelle Boitel, Uma Ysamat, Niklas Ek, Thiago Martins, James Thierree
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Warwick Arts Centre Coventry
- April 15-18 2004
- Peacock London
- October 4-15 2005
- Wales Millennium Centre, Donald Gordon Cardiff
- October 20-23 2005
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