First-rate fingerwork at 'Les 7 Doigts de la Main'

Plenty of people daydream about running away to join the circus, but the French-Canadian troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main have run away from the circus to create something new.

The circus they have left is Cirque de Soleil, which visited Auckland earlier in the year for Quidam. It seems that Les 7 Doigts have taken everything they liked from their Cirque de Soleil experience and junked the rest to create a fresher, more hip experience.

So it's out with the ponderous storylines and in with a basic premise of a group of seven people hanging out in a loft and creating mischief - sort of a circus sitcom, an episode of Friends with some acrobatics and juggling.

Cirque's new-age soundtrack is replaced by a combination of styles, including some great Tom Waits, rap and beat-box action, didgeridoo and tango all mixed live on stage by Les 7 Doigt's DJ Pocket. And Les Doigts have a much more inclusive and user-friendly take on audience participation.

The only area where Les 7 Doigts doesn't hold up is in the circus pieces themselves, in which Cirque has the edge because of superior skills, better lighting, more pace and a larger cast.

Les 7 Doigts had standout performances from the clowning team of Sebastien Soldevila and Patrick Leonard. This traditional odd couple of a laid-back big guy and uptight small man manipulate laughs from the audience as skilfully as they spin their diabolo.

Faon Shane is impressive in the chains act she developed herself and Samuel Tetreault is skilful in a hand-balancing performance, well set up by an evocative use of video projection.

There were some wonderfully playful moments where the troupe used whimsical humour to woo the audience.

Anyone who has lived in a rundown house with oddball flatmates getting on their nerves will be able to relate to the rich humour to be mined from such situations.

This was a charming experience where small gestures led to big insights into human quirks.

Review

*What: Les 7 Doigts de la Main
*Where: Aotea Centre
*Reviewer: Shannon Huse