Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago, Illinois
Tragedy and comedy form the basis of Aristotle’s Poetics, and our definition of theater. Yet, is there space for whimsy in our poetics, for wonder in our theater? A theater of alluring images, images that draw us and hold us, that can’t be so easily interpreted or reduced to words? For danger and humor not in service of a plot, but as visual poetry?
James Thiérrée’s Au Revoir Parapluie explores that space, an aesthetic borne at the confluence of theater, tableau vivant, and circus arts, an aesthetic steeped as much in melancholy as whimsy, a theater of images unfolding in time through the internal logic of visual transformation not teleology.
Thiérrée’s Au Revoir Parapluie carries on in the tradition of his earlier La Veillée des Abysses (2005), and that of his parents Victoria Chaplin and Jean Baptiste Thiérrée and their Le Cirque Invisible, last seen here at the old Athenaeum Theatre in 1993. Chaplin and Thierrée’s earlier incarnation Le Cirque Imaginaire proved pivotal in inspiring an entire generation of new circus performers from the Pickle Family Circus in San Francisco to Cirque du Soleil in Montreal.
The two hundred and fifty year history of the modern circus has served as a reflection of our societal preoccupations, whether that’s the equestrian acts of British and Spanish circuses, the clowns of traditional Italian commedia dell'Arte, or the acrobatics of Chinese performances. For Americans the prevailing metaphor of the circus has always been domination: domination over animals, over danger, domestication of the wild, and the taming of the west. Our circus tradition has its roots in the Wild West shows of Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane; its historical lineage sharing more affinities with monster truck shows and tractor pulls than theater.
Thiérrée forges a different tradition, one borne of tenderness and fragility. His images are at once captivating, dangerous, and comical. They are never presented to us; rather we discover them and experience a sense of wonder and awe along with Thiérrée. In the tradition of the finest clowns, we identify with him. In that way, Thiérrée's performances call to mind the artistry of Jacques Tati, Buster Keaton, and his maternal grandfather Charles Chaplin. The power of his images derives from that juxtaposition of the absurd and the dangerous, comedy and impending tragedy held at bay through the masterful performances of Thiérrée and his fellow performers Kaori Ito, Magnus Jakobsson, Satchie Noro, and Maria Sendow.
