The invisible circus

Published 06 June, 2009, 17:12

The Chekhov Festival in Moscow welcomes a one-of-a-kind circus – the “Invisible” one. This stunning performance of two talents, Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée, celebrates fantasy and kindness.

The Chekhov Festival this year offers quite a number of circus performances. But the one from the daughter of the world-famous comedian and her husband is definitely the highlight. The “Invisible Circus” comes to Moscow for the very first time.

Read more

The “Chaplin” circus has no brand and, at the same time, has no borders, but anyone who’s into the nuts and bolts of modern circus knows what it is all about.

The “Invisible Circus” features both of them on stage. A man and a woman, a charming clown-illusionist and a surprisingly-elastic and graceful lady. They joke and perform tricks, endlessly metamorphosing into different characters. Amazing costumes and scenery come together with geese and rabbits on stage. They are crafty and inventive, charming and smart and make everyone smile throughout the performance, willing for more.

Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée take you through the world of love, miracles, magic and dreams. Stunned by their work, Figaro newspaper wrote “Our language is too poor to put into words the sensation from this amazing show, which for some time washes off all the rage and dirt of the surrounding world, and for a short while we regain the best of our nature – the sensation of childhood.”

The “Invisible Circus” can be seen at Moscow’s Mossovet theatre till June 13.

A bit of background

Victoria Chaplin is the fourth child in Charlie Chaplin’s family. Born in the USA, she studied and grew up in Switzerland. In the late sixties, she met Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée. By that time, he had already worked in theatre as a prompter and an actor, performed on stage under the leadership of great directors and even had a part in Federico Fellini’s film “Clowns.”

In a revolutionary move for Europe in 1968, he engaged himself with a circus. Soon, this hobby developed a completely mutual understanding between the married couple.

Their performances evolved as time went by; older acts gave way to newer ones, and new forms were being found. The only things that didn’t change were the skills and gentle natures of the performers.

Their son and daughter, James and Aurelia, have followed in the footsteps of the parents. Their shows also will be shown in Moscow.


5/5 (5 votes)

12345

rate this story

discuss it

RT asks

How realistic is the image of Russia presented in the West?

« previous page

next page »