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La promenade des anglais

Wednesday 3 February 2010 , by Jean-Marie Grall , Sylvain Marchand (Translation  Mathilde Vautier)

All the versions of this article: [English] [français]

Compered by Fred Tousch, the second day of the Fish & Chips festival was a great opportunity for the audience to stroll along the “Promenade des Anglais” and discover Edmund Thal’s absurd world, puppets Hodman and Sally interactive walkabout, the great high wire walking performances from Altitude company or the fabulous stories of The Strangelings’ explorers.

As soon as they arrive, the audience is immersed into the enchanting atmosphere created by the “fire installations” from the company Carabosse (which also increased the temperature on site by a few (very welcomed) degrees.

And the smooth rattleting of Carabosse’s machinery is a source of inspiration for Stuff’n’things, who take the audience into their English humour atmosphere. Map in hand, asking the public where they could bury a coffin, the three undertakers take in turn to dig a whole for the mortal remains...Not so mortal though, as there’s something knocking in there, “dying” to get out! Characteristics of the British composure or just professional conscienciousness, who knows? But it doesn’t deter our three workers from carrying on... Later on, one of the comedians comes walking about the Promenade, confronting the audience to Edmond Thal’s crazy and surreal adventures. Admidst a reality of swarming angry bees or in the middle of a spaghetti western gun fight, Edmond is struggling to keep his composure.

Puppets Hodman and Sally are an elderly couple of miniature proportions, who gets the audience’s affection straight away. Children are amazed by the puppets’ incredible humanity while grown-ups share with them their vision of the world, though not quite in line with the world nowadays...

Two ice-encrusted bearded men slowly walk towards the promenade, struggling to pull the equipment they used for their South Pole expedition. The two explorers allegedly went from Dijon, to Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, Toulouse (again) before heroically ending up in Sotteville-lès-Rouen. The public is amused by such an adventure, obviously turning to failure, leading our two “heroes” to the warm Fish & Chips bar, where they find refuge with our welcoming home chefs.

30 metres high is where Altitude company starts an incredible act requiring an impressive physical agility where the body goes through a series of dazzling transformations. The show finishes with Didier Pasquette’s tightrope walking performance, challenging the difficult outdoor conditions.

Back to the quirky British humor from Wet Picnic who attempt to give the audience a 20 minute “table manners” course. Funny and surreal, the dinner table is an excuse for foody extravaganza and where food delicacies become an exciting messy game!

Open throughout the festival, the Insect circus museum covers 3 centuries and several continents, which makes it the best museum of its kind in the world.

Housed in a vintage, mahogany lined Bedford TK beetlebox van, the museum reminds us that insects too have fallen into Peoplemania (glimpse to the Beatles). A replica of the most famous album of the band is identical, apart from one tiny detail: Sergeant Pepper is now The Commandant Cicadellas Insect Circus Band!

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