James Thiérrée — Au Revoir Parapluie
- I last saw James Thierree flying upside down and making his body do things nature never intended, just after he'd fought a gravity- defying battle with an unsitdownable chair. So it feels somewhat odd to chat normally to this normal-looking chap, sitting normally on a normal settee as traffic shoots by along the Seine. The first question comes out all wrong. Does he, I kick off brightly with a furtive glance at his body, actually have a skeleton?
It seems a pretty innocent question to ask a bloke who has just turned 33, glowing with health, but it opens a can of worms. He positively winces. "Oh yes - and it's really catching up with me. You know, when you're younger, you think you can demand anything of your body. You're elastic, immortal!" There's a rueful grin as he flexes his muscles and rolls his shoulders. "All this hanging upside down, it gets more difficult - you start to feel your limits." By my standards, Thierree's limits are still pretty mind-boggling but I am selfishly relieved that even Peter Pan might need a physio one of these days.
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I last saw A colossal twist of rope fills the stage, spinning with the force of a tornado's core. It seems about to suck up everything around it, to turn the world topsy-turvy - until it is suddenly transformed into what looks like a giant set of quivering vocal chords. Next to it stands a man, gazing up in awe. This is James Thiérrée: circus performer, director, and grandson of the most famous clown of all, Charlie Chaplin.
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