ANIMAL: A Farm Story
By Cirque Alfonse

Thursday, April 6, 7:30 pm

Circus, song, dance and theatre all come together

From the Quebec-based troupe that brought us TIMBER!, Cirque Alfonse is backwith their raucous new show described as “a delightful farmyard circus cabaret.” ANIMAL! serves up farm fables with a touch of irreverence, comedy and virtuosity in a re-invented agricultural world where the farm is turned upside down and the barn is turned inside out! Reviews from as far away as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe say that ANIMAL! is a blast for all ages. This non-glitzy circus company takes its tricks seriously, and has the athleticism to pull off jaw-dropping feats of juggling, balancing, and flying through the air. Props for their gravity-defying acrobatic tricks include a tractor wheel with a teeterboard, an unruly mechanical bull, wheelbarrows and milk pails. Far from the unearthly creatures of Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Alfonse performers have wild lumberjack beards and costumes that feel a bit like a vintage store exploded.
In ANIMAL!, a farmer has surrounded himself with familiar but slightly outlandish creatures: the chickens have teeth, the ducks are slightly menacing and the cows are kicking up a fuss. In this “farm fantasy,” imagination conjures up stories from childhood, rural life proves to be both energetic and poetic and clichés are joyfully turned on their head. The clan of family and friends that make up Cirque Alfonse take a multidisciplinary approach where circus, song, dance and theatre all come together, driven by original live music … an irresistible mix of trad and soul that the troupe calls “agricultural funk!” A production for young and old alike, ANIMAL is the farm gone haywire!

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