London International Mime Festival (South Bank Centre)
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
NEXT year, the London International Mime Festival takes place from January 13 to January 31, 2010, with events taking place at the Barbican, ICA, Royal Opera House and South Bank Centre, where they include:
Etgar Theatre with Eshet (Israel) – Saturday, January 16 to Tuesday, January 19 (Purcell Room).
Five life-size puppets and their human doubles play out the powerful Old Testament story of Tamar, a young widow forced by convention to marry one of her dead husband’s brothers.
Okidok with Slips Inside (Belgium) – Wednesday, January 20 to Saturday, January 23 (Purcell Room).
Chaos ahead! Entertainers Leopold and Baudoin compete for our attention, as they attempt to outdo one another with feats of skill and ingenuity.
Collectif Petit Travers with Pan-Pot (France) – Thursday, January 21 and Friday, January 22 (Queen Elizabeth Hall).
Pan-Pot is a firework display of world-class juggling performed to live piano music by classical masters Liszt, Mozart and Beethoven, and modern composer Ligiti.
Circus Klezmer (Spain) – Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January 24 (Queen Elizabeth Hall).
Last year’s festival’s hit returns! A nice Jewish village wedding, somewhere in Eastern Europe, but it’s all going wrong as the rings are mislaid and the arguments start.
Okidok with HaHaHa (Belgium) – Sunday, January 24 (Purcell Room).
Their bizarre make-up and costume hints at Beckett or the great tradition of Russian clowning, but Xavier Bouvier and Benoit Devos have developed their own distinctive universe and style.
Mimbre with Until Now (UK) – Monday, January 25 to Wednesday, January 27 (Purcell Room).
Until Now is a beautifully improbable acrobatic adventure, with a little magic and a few surprises.
Compagnie Ieto (France) – Thursday, January 28 to Sunday, January 31 (Purcell Room).
Using little more than a few planks, some cord and a fine understanding of mechanics, Compagnie Ieto presents an impressive exhibition of balancing skills, and in the process draw us into a warm-hearted power struggle – an acrobatic battle of wits.
To find out more visit the South Bank Centre Website