Review from: Cirqu’ Aarau Festival, Switzerland; 20th June 2025
Liam Lelarge and Kim Marro, two women in matching grey shorts and white singlets, similar in height and hair, are La Boule, a playful two-headed creature with four legs and four arms that explores every possible way of moving. The pair embrace each other, emotionally, elegantly and ridiculously. The duo circle around and criss-cross the ring in a pushmi-pullyu choreography of entwined rolls, hops and stumbles that extend far beyond the crablike walks and three-legged marches of Monty Python’s Ministry of Funny Walks.
A board at the entrance has sketches of many of the moves, given names including the milleboule (a millipede like walk), tumbleweed, bouldog, sumo and torteliboul. To give an example of one walk, stand back-to-back with a friend, a gap between you. Both of you lean forward whilst standing on one leg which you grasp with your hands. You lift the other leg behind you and wrap it around your partner’s. You are now connected to each other, bent over and facing different directions. Now try to walk…
The hard work that the duo has spent finding out ways of moving under multiple constraints pays off for twenty or so wonderful minutes during which we are completely absorbed and intrigued, marvelling at the entertaining, tricky, dangerous, improbable and emotional movements.
Sadly, the more it continues beyond that length the less absorbing it becomes, despite costume quick-changes on stage. Towards the end of the 45-minutes (particularly as we are sat on narrow planked seating) it seems like a relentless endurance challenge for them and for us.
CREDITS
Concept & Performance Liam Lelarge, Kim Marro Music Madeg Menguy Lighting Jérémie Cusenier Technical Support Léa Sallustro Outside Eye Jean-Paul Lefeuvre Tour Coordination Colin Neveur Administration Pascale Baudin
Production Compagnie Attention Fragile Supported by Plateforme 2 Pôles Cirque en Normandie | La Brèche à Cherbourg et le Cirque-Théâtre d’Elbeuf; Le Sirque Pôle National Cirque, Nexon; Le Palc –Pôle National Cirque, Châlons-en-Champagne avec l’aide du réseau Grand Ciel; Espace Périphérique (Mairie de Paris – Parc de la Villette), Paris; Cirk’Eole, Montigny-Les-Metz; Festival Utopiste et Théâtre de la Mouche, Saint- Genis-Laval; CNAC Centre National des arts du cirque, Châlons-en-Champagne; Le Château de Monthelon – Atelier International de Fabrique Artistique, Montréal; Cie Anomalie dans le cadre d’un dispositif de «compagnonnage plateau» (DRAC Bourgogne-Franche-Comté); Séchoir, Scène Andémik, La Réunion; Lauréates avec le soutien de la SACD / Processus Cirque 2022; Association Beaumarchais SACD – Aide à l’écriture cirque et Aide à la production; Compagnie Attention Fragile
