Traces – Curve, Leicester

Creators: Les Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers)

Director/Choreography: Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider

Reviewer: David Noble

The Public Reviews Rating:

Traces is fantastic entertainment. An eclectic collection of tricks and stunts, designed to amaze, shock and ultimately impress. Just another circus then? Well, no. Traces uses an almost sketch show format to allow the audience to engage with the five performers, all of whom reveal some strange snippets of information about their life throughout the show. Additionally a diverse and interesting soundtrack takes it away from unwanted circus clichés.

Acts were choreographed in a simplistic way (not saying that they were easy to pull off!) so as to focus on the pure strength and athleticism of the performers, truly showcasing the astonishing fitness levels they have to reach. Highlights included a remarkable routine with a giant ring, a gravity defying catapult and a magnificent finale.

The sketch show style, though it worked for the majority of the performance, was bound to be hit and miss in some respects. Some “sketches” were quite frankly bizarre, and the use of the OHP suggested a punt at profundity when really they would have been best to stick with humour, which was present throughout the show.

The five performers; Antoine Auger, Antoine Carabinier-Lepine, Jonathan Casaubon, Genevieve Morin and Philip Rosenberg; were all likeable and entertaining, whilst being utterly mesmerising. The sheer variety of skills, from basketball to skateboarding, and from piano to roller skating, was absolutely mind-boggling. They are extremely talented people, and what’s more with a bit of charisma too.

All in all, Traces is a memorable night at the theatre. High-octane and pulsating, one could gauge the effect it was having through the innumerable gasps and gaping faces of the audience! A standing ovation for a stand-out show.