From ping pong balls to pole dancing, juggling to human pyramids, BARBU by Cirque Alfonse is one of the most eclectic and extraordinary performances you are ever likely to see.
Having recently finished its run at the Sydney Opera House, the troupe from Montreal has headed to Adelaide, where they will perform at the Adelaide Fringe Festival from March 10 – 19.
The proudly French-Canadian show includes acrobatics, physical comedy, burlesque and a live electro band playing traditional music with French lyrics, which troupe leader and founder of Cirque Alfonse, Antoine Carabinier Lépine, says gives the show a certain authenticity.
“Traditional folk music from Quebec is not so known around the world and we are really proud of Canada – it’s really nice to arrive in another country and be proud of your own,” Lépine said.
The music is a vital part of the show, adding a vibrancy that a simple backing track never could, as well as providing an extra assurance to the performers.
“The music is so much a part of the show – it could have been just them putting on a proper music show, and for us it’s so nice to have a real live band on stage with us,” Lépine explained.
BARBU is Cirque Alfonse’s second touring production, after their first ‘Timber’, toured across the world for five years, including a stint in Parramatta in 2015. That production spawned out of a simple wish for Lépine to give a meaningful gift to his father.
“He always wanted to be on stage, and never got the chance, so me and my sister decided to create a show for his 60th birthday,” he said.
“So we put the show together, but we didn’t expect anything out of it – it was just fun for us, but we manage to tour that small show for two summers but after that we had other contracts with other big companies from Canada.
Having been based in Montreal where the Cirque movement was cultivated though the development of Cirque du Soleil and the pathways that grew out of that, BARBU performers have been able to create a show that takes aspects of other productions while creating something truly unique.
“I think Cirque du Soleil was a big push for circus – it made a path for us, so I think we just follow that kind of path and make our own choice – we’re a smaller circus. I don’t know why but in Quebec there’s a lot of art, like dance and music and everything and it’s really nice to be from there,” Lépine said.
What they have created is a high-action, intense production which combines multiple elements of circus, giving the audience an edge-of-your-seat experience which they can’t take their eyes off. The physicality and acrobatic nature of the show on the small stage is extraordinary, and often takes the crowd by surprise.
“We’ve always done shows that were really physical; we are at a stage in our careers where we start to get to our peak – we’re not just out of school, we’re not twenty years old anymore, but we still want to do physical stuff – we’re just trying to do as best as we can,” Lépine laughed.
Entre balles de ping-pong et pôle dance, jonglage et pyramides humaines, le spectacle BARBU du Cirque Alfonse est une des performances les plus extraordinaires et les plus éclectiques qu’il vous sera donné de voir.
Ayant récemment terminé sa saison à l’Opera House de Sydney, cette troupe de Montréal se rend à Adelaïde du 10 au 19 Mars pour y participer au Fringe Festival de la ville.
Ce spectacle fièrement franco-canadien offre acrobaties, comédie corporelle, burlesque et un groupe de musiciens interprétant une musique traditionnelle aux paroles françaises. Tout cela donnant au spectacle une certaine authenticité, si l’on en croit Antoine Carabinier Lépine, le directeur de la troupe du Cirque Alfonse et son fondateur.
La musique est partie intégrante du spectacle, elle ajoute une vitalité qu’un simple enregistrement ne pourrait pas apporter, et elle sert de repère aux artistes.
BARBU est la seconde production en tournée du Cirque Alfonse ; leur première intitulée ‘Timber’ a fait le tour du monde pendant cinq ans, avec une apparition à Parramatta en 2015. Une production née d’une envie toute simple de Lépine d’offrir à son père un vrai cadeau d’anniversaire.
“On a donc préparé un spectacle mais on en attendait rien de plus: pour nous nous c’était juste un moment de rigolade, mais on a réussi à faire ce spectacle pendant deux années, et après cela on a signé d’autres contrats avec d’autres grandes compagnies canadiennes.
Basés à Montréal où le mouvement du Cirque a bénéficié de la poussée du Cirque du Soleil et des diverses initiatives qui en ont émergé, les artistes de BARBU ont pu créer un spectacle qui s’inspire d’autres productions tout en apportant son cachet vraiment unique.
Ce qu’ils ont créé, c’est une production intense, pleine d’action, qui mêle de multiples éléments de cirque pour offrir au public une expérience à vous couper le souffle et qu’on ne quitte pas de yeux une seule seconde. Le côté physique et acrobatique du spectacle est extraordinaire sur une scène restreinte et le public est souvent pris par surprise.