La Symphonie du Hanneton

Introduction by Alison James, Assistant Professor of French Literature

With gags galore, acrobatic and anachronistic irreverence, trapeze jugglers, and lyric music and dance, James Thiérrée turns reality upside down, leading us into a surrealistic and dreamlike symphony played by actors with stupefying energy. In this live performance, captured on film in 2005, Thiérrée transports viewers to a “special universe” alive with “flesh, drunkenness, furniture, furtive meetings, bestiary, joy [and] explosive energy.”

James Thiérrée is the grandson of Charlie Chaplin, and the son of Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée. His parents were creators and co-founders of Le Cirque bonjour, and le Cirque invisible—traveling circuses given some credit as sources of inspiration for the Cirque du Soleil. As a child, James performed in his parents' troops—and these circus roots are clearly evident in this compelling spectacle.

(James Thiérrée, France, 2005, DVD, 76 min)