Press

THEPUBLICREVIEWS.COM ● SEPTEMBRE 2011

The Best of the BE Festival at the Lowry in Manchester on 19th and 20th September 2011
Autour Du Mime perform with a startling simplicity that makes the show fresh. Sara Mangano and Pierre-Yves Massip are superb storytellers who bring to life the tale of squabbling lovers in a way that illustrates the triviality of their arguments and the deep bond that holds them together. It is a charming and very funny piece – like a silent movie brought to life.

Dave Cunningham

TOTALTHEATREREVIEW.COM ● JANVIER 2012 Mime London Festival
Purcell Room 17th and 18th of January 2012

In Trace, Yves-Massip sculpts a ball of solid clay and from his deft staccato movements, worlds spring. As he conjures something from nothing – the trump card of creation – we share in each live moment of this process; it is tactile, primal and completely absorbing. Both Mangano and Yves-Massip demonstrate a high level of technical skill throughout all four pieces and a commitment to creating which is energising and impressive.
The pervading impression of the four pieces is strong. The investment from both performers is abundantly clear, the passion infused into every nuance of action is contagious, and it's packed full of visual charm....

Marigold Hugues

CULTURALSHENANIGANS.CO.UK ● AUTOUR DU MIME SEPTEMBRE 2011 

Dis-moi la vérité, Autour du Mime (France)

… As well as excellent movement, the facial expressions of the two performers add to the piece, the sad bemusement of Mangano is very touching at times. This is a dysfunctional relationship laid bare with honesty and emotion. Throughout there was a feeling of a fluid relationship and conflicting obsession – possibly to the point of unrequited love at times; of love and of love lost.

Although physically there is trust between the performers they also communicated how hard it is to let someone go, with a lot of repetition of a certain dance phrase or two I also got the repeated attempts you can make in a relationship to stop the inevitable failure -and often these attempts are the same old mistakes. I didn’t expect the piece to turn out as it does, it started very traditionally – almost cinematic with its opening encounter reminiscent of the innocence of an old silent film.

I was surprised at how moving I found the piece and that was at least in part due to the repetition of movements – whether made slower or smaller, bigger, faster or more frenzied – each movement tells a subtly different story.