James Thiérrée gives a high wire performance in La Veillée Des Abysses at the Galwat Arts Festival.

La Veillée Des Abysses

Black Box,

Galway Arts Festival

James Thiérrée must be tired of being told what a great performer he is. As leading man caught in his own nightmare in last year's wacky The Junebug Symphony he was able to perform all sorts of stunts, such as roller skating backwards playing the violin, just for the hell of it.

In La Veillée Des Abysses he dissolves himself into the ensemble, so the casting is more democratic and, as performers play multiple characters, relationships and tensions are enriched.

The danger of a deluge of visual gags leaching the narrative has also been carefully weighed, and La Veillée Des Abysses is more considered in its use of stunts and altogether more resolute in its invention.

The action hangs on a simple conceptual frame of humans overcoming a greater force. A dark mood is set from the very opening as the five performers struggle against an impossible gale and deluge, but by the end they have a wind at their backs, a glorious white sail in front and joy and hope in their faces.

In between there is the usual mishmash of movement and theatre styles: simple set pieces and images produced in the most physically complicated ways.

So sitting down becomes impossible. With a lone chair centre stage, and under the threat of a precariously balanced Magnus Jakobsson, who looks ready to swing onstage and flatten him at any moment, Thiérrée tries to put his elbows on his knees.

They shift at the last minute; he buckles forward, picks himself up, sits again and tries to cross his legs. They refuse to cross and eventually send him spinning to the floor.

Five minutes later you are almost disappointed when he eventually stabilises, by lying on the ground and resting his head on the chair.

Elsewhere, arias get stuck in Uma Yasmat's mouth, sofas swallow bodies and guards at a gate have to be wary of all manner of intruders.

Near the end a gasping audience is treated to the thrill of riskiness in some high-wire sequences. Here again, simple tasks appear to be arried out with reckless uncertainty, but as with everything else in the evening, it is all safe in Thiérrée's firm grasp.

Runs until Sunday

Michael Seaver