• James Thiérrée / Compagnie du Hanneton: Tabac Rouge

    James Thiérrée / Compagnie du Hanneton, Tabac Rouge | Photo: Richard Haughton

    Looking back over the previous four shows made by James Thiérrée's Compagnie du Hanneton – La Symphonie du Hanneton, La Veillée des Abysses, Au Revoir Parapluie, and Raoul – the line of a life feels quite clear: beginning with a youthful energy and sense of friendship, the work has gradually expanded to encompass a mature awareness of isolation, mortality and identity. For Tabac Rouge, the cast is larger than before, and while Thiérrée is the director, scenographer and choreographer, he's generally not a performer in the work. The imagery and small pieces of video for the show open up the old-world fantasy familiar from previous productions (decrepit opulence; rich, faded fabrics), but dominated here by the sinister face of a vast, turning, oxidised mirror. Reports from France encapsulate the show as broadly a piece about despotism and power, but it's something to see for yourself...