Six family-friendly companies from all over Europe will be bringing circus and magic to London next year as part of the 2010 London International Mime Festival.
The visiting companies form part of the extensive programme for this annual showcase of contemporary visual theatre, which runs from 13 to 31 January at venues across the capital, including the Barbican, the Southbank Centre, the ICA and the Royal Opera House.
The family-friendly programme kicks off with Switzerland’s Zimmermann & De Perrot (13 to 16 January) which brings its show Oper Opis, a mix of circus, music and dance, to the Barbican.
Belgian clowning duo Xavier Bouvier and Benoit Devos present two shows at this year’s festival; Slips Inside (20 to 23 January) is a classic street-theatre performance while HaHaHa (24 January) sees the duo don bizarre make-up and costumes to present a series of original, wordless sketches and physical routines.
Two companies from France – young circus artists Compagnie Ieto (28 to 31 January) and juggling experts Collectif Petit Travers (21 to 22 January) – show off their skills at the Southbank Centre, as does Spain’s Circus Klezmer (23 to 24 January), which returns to the festival after visiting last year to present a riotous circus show about a wedding that goes wrong.
Lastly, the continental companies are joined by Britain’s Mimbre, whose show Until Now runs in the Purcell Room from 25 to 27 January. An improbable acrobatic adventure with some magic and a few surprises, Until Now is a timeless story of journeys and goodbyes, told using a fusion of physical theatre, dance and acrobatics.
For more information about all these shows and others in the 2010 London International Mime Festival, visit www.mimefest.co.uk
CB