Dark and humorous, with a cast of nine performers, Clowns & Queens continues to tread the fine line between comedy and violence established by the Gandinis' recent show Smashed.
In a white space, four Clowns and five Queens enact a series of ornate juggling-based tableaux. The images suggest an imaginary place which might be the past and might be the future, with complex power play, sexual machinations, twisted rituals, and, beneath the surface, a yearning for love.
Clowns and Queens looks at the juggling body. At the body as sexual desire. At circus as a perversity. Made in collaboration with fashion designer and previous Gandini collaborator Gemma Banks, as well as lighting designer Jean-Ba Laude, this is grown-up circus, drawn with the Gandinis' trademark detailed choreography and attention to detail.