Avanti !

Special mention for "the burlesque odyssey of such a human species" and "the press favourite"

(…) One of these great successes is called "Avanti! " and its antics are delicious. We all know that we have remained relatively primitive. This show takes the image literally. Three primitive beings, all astonished to be there, little by little discover their small world. On a brown circle of soil where only large potatoes grow, they relive evolution before our eyes. They will progressively learn the act of walking, understand the notion of private property, love, greed, electric lighting, fun, death and bad faith. Despite our modern fripperies, we have hardly evolved... If the caricatures fly under the direction of Pierre Richards, it is because the spectacle invents a coherent world, very familiar, clenched in their fists by three actors happy in the bodies of prehistoric clowns. Gerard Corbion, Patricia Gomis and Jeannine Gretler do not utter one (true) word, but their physical humour speaks for them. Between silent film, mime, commedia dell' arte and eternal tragedy, this trio juggles with anachronism to get the better of us. An all the more amusing success as it brings together an established company (la Casquette), a young one (Orange Sanguine) and an arrival from afar (Côté Jardin, of Senegal). In their own way, their meeting reinvents electricity! (…)

Laurent Ancion – Le Soir – Friday August 19, 2005

Huy starts with the cry of Avanti !

(…) Humanity is also invited to "Avanti!", a beautiful adventure which started here in Huy two years ago at a meeting of the Citf (International Commission of the French-speaking theatre). Two Belgian companies (la Casquette and Orange Sanguine) and a Senegalese company (Côté Jardin) travelled back together to prehistoric times to mime and mimic the history of the world through the story of a potato field. Remarkable clown work, playful and sensual, that links and confronts three astonishing characters, one rotund, the other big-bottomed, the third hunchbacked. One pinches another's bottom, one merrily slaps another's cheek, they end up embracing after having divided the physical and psychological terrain and the discovery of the miracle of electricity. Onomatopeias mad chases, frank arguments and short reconciliations punctuate this sharp exploration of the subject. And watch out for the first bottom that passes !

Laurence Bertels – La Libre Belgique – Friday August 19, 2005

(…) « Avanti ! » is undeniably a heartfelt favourite. Three characters are propelled nakedly into a world, marked out by a series of stone-potatoes. By means of body play coupled with mime and dance and using a hybrid language similar to the dialogues imagined by Anthony Burgess in Jean-Jacques Annaud's film "The Quest for Fire", they become tame. Engaging flawlessly in a basically physical performance, they get to know their bodies, their territory, to explore their physiological and mental capacities, to discover and to share feelings and emotions. Violence and affection alternate between tension and laughter, rejection and harmony.

Michel Voiturier – Le Jour Huy-Waremme – Saturday August 20, 2005

Avanti ! for humanity
When three companies, Belgian (la Casquette and Orange Sanguine) and Senegalese (Côté Jardin) come together to create a spectacle, the pieces selected release an invigorating perfume scented cumin and of ginger. Three strange beings - one big-bottomed, one hunchbacked and one rotund - emerge from a potato field to discover the world. A remarkable performance of mime and clowning, "Avanti! " stresses the playful communication and multiplies the slaps, pinchings of buttocks, rubbing of hips and other rituals before arriving at the disconcerting kisses. Pursuits, cavalcades, the marking out of physical and psychic territory, modernisation and variations of alliances punctuate this joyfully sensual spectacle where all communication occurs by touch and wordless sounds. Youth theater of soaring heights, innovative and enjoyable, "Avanti! "was born from an organised meeting of French-speaking theater in Huy in 2003 out of a common interest in opening up with and to others.
Laurence Bertels – La Libre Culture – Wednesday August 31, 2005

Three primitive beings, astonished to be there, live evolution for our eyes only. On a brown circle of soil where only large potatoes grow, they learn progressively to walk, to understand the notion of private property, love, cupidity, electric lighting, fun, death and bad faith. Have we evolved or moved on much further? The caricatures fly, under the direction of Pierre Richards, with three actors happy in their prehistoric clown bodies . Gerard Corbion, Patricia Gomis and Jeannine Gretler will not utter one (true) word. Their physical humour speaks for them. Between silent movie, mime, commedia dell' arte and tragedy, they juggle with the anachronism to get the better of us.
Laurent Ancion - Le Soir – Mad - Wednesday September 7, 2005

They are three beings who descend suddenly on a round surface very much like the Earth. Three beings who we discover from the outset, are greatly frustrated because they have everything to learn. We observe, or more precisely we participate in, the laughter and the emotions, as they begin their irreversible progression. Walking, touching, caresses, arguments, the will to possess, loneliness amid wealth, talent, the discovery of space, of knowledge, violence, love, dreams, jealousy... one cannot exhaustively list all the lessons they learn. Gestures, mime, small cries and grunts are enough for us to comprehend because this trio is so human, too human, that they do not need words to captivate us. What happiness! A superb success which fully justifies its "from 6 years onwards", because whoever sees this spectacle will leave it charmed. Hats off to the troupe !
Philippe Mathy – Le Ligueur – Wednesday September 14, 2005

Evaluation of the jury of the Meeting of Youth Theater of Huy

In a simple decor and a constantly playful mood, AVANTI deploys a universe of metaphorical richness that is especially enjoyable because we have fun from beginning to end.

These three beings of clay who quarrel and make up take everything from all the human groups we can imagine : from the playground of cavemen to the relations between adults. By means of some wordless sounds uttered with vehemence and delivered at length, these three characters replay a history which unfolds with no slackening of pace, living so much together is complicated, absurd and comical. All the subjects pass in front of us with a charming lightness, from the discovery of life to the problem of property while passing through human relations and then crossing through the incarnation of traditional types: the leader, the follower...

Bolstered by an effective and accurate staging and clothed in daring costumes, the three actors ensure an effervescent interaction based on complete mastery of the art of clowning. The scenario functions in loops but, far from tiresome, the narration is enriched by nuances which intelligently carry the action forward.

AVANTI is a talented spectacle which, without pretentiousness nor heavy philosophical talks, touches on serious things with intelligence, humour and lightness.

August 2005