Flip Fabrique are a high octane high-flying circus troupe from Quebec, Canada who have once again, descended on London’s Underbelly Festival - which if you haven’t yet been - is a summer-long festival of various international acts from circus to cabaret to burlesque, entertaining exuberant audiences in the Underbelly ‘Circus Hub’. Following last year’s sell-out show ‘Attrape-Moi’ this year’s offering ‘Transit’ promises to stun, entertain and transport audiences to another level of what is humanely possible. With Quebec’s remarkable record for churning out mind-boggling contemporary acrobatic groups, Flip Fabrique are unquestionably up there in the premier league.
With an exhausting recent track record of performing in 150 cities in over 15 countries across the globe, the travel theme of ‘Transit’ is clearly one this small group of six performers are very familiar with - dealing with the trials and tribulations of life on the road plus the need to keep in ‘performance-ready’ condition with a hard-core rigorous training regime. Forget the after-parties and boozy hedonism - these guys mean serious business!
The show opens with an ominous voice-over asking all of ‘us’ fire-eaters and contortionists and acrobats’ to sit comfortably and be aware of the various escape routes should our ‘flight’ come into difficulty. From the outset we feel part of a weird and wonderful journey with just an enormous metal crate in front of us….eventually opened by the solo female performer Jade Dussault dramatically unleashing five male performers from inside: a powerful entrance of a mass of taute limbs, dreadlocks and beards - all costumed in distinctive red, white and blue.
With the narrative of the troupe being on the road and waiting - we think at the end of a long tour - for an (extremely) delayed Air Canada flight, the crew entertain themselves - and us - with an eye popping display of hula-hooping, aerial gymnastics, diabolo spinning, juggling….culminating in one of the most astonishing trampoline displays I have witnessed (worth waiting for as the show’s more-than-Grande Finale!) Mixed into this we see the dynamics between these seemingly charming and hugely dedicated people; their indelible bonding as a tight group whose success (and survival) depends on absolute mutual trust ...and the inevitable sense of regret that this enduring but nonetheless elating experience is about to end.
This is a show that - unlike other circus acts appearing on the festival circuit (who albeit equally thrill with their seemingly impossible manoeuvres) unusually gives us the opportunity to get to know the performers better: with the wonderfully choreographed set pieces displaying an array of intricately rehearsed acrobatic and clowning skills, interspersed with dialogue in English and French (albeit a bit inaudible at times against the backdrop of a cacophony of friday night noise outside from the many festival bars and eateries). Plus with such raucous clowning scenes as the ‘Birthday Party’ and the brilliantly hilarious ‘Donut Man’ grappling with the challenges of high altitude aerobics whilst carrying a few extra pounds, we are thoroughly entertained by the pace, variety and stun factor of it all. And whilst we may have witnessed the odd missed hoop jump or wrong-footed fall - the overwhelming feeling is of an incredibly tightly rehearsed, innovative and highly engaging show - in a relatively intimate performance space - from a hugely talented company who I am sure will continue to charm thousands, in years to come.
Reviewer - Georgina Elliott
on - 31/5/19
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