NEW YORK—Presented by the French circus troupe Compagine 111, "ijk" stands for "un instant de jonglage en kit," or "a moment of juggling."
Actually there were several moments of juggling with rubber balls, individually or back and forth between some of the performers. More amusingly, these spherical objects were often bounced in and out of (and on the sides) of numerous multi-colored boxes and/or blocks positioned around the stage; ranging from relatively small ones that could easily be picked up by the cast (Olivier Alenda, Aurelien Bory, Anne De Buck) to boxes more than six feet tall. This entire section (the first segment of the show) could also be described as an interesting lesson in mathematics and physics for the older folks in the audience, as the performers attempted to find just the right angle to make the balls bounce for maximum effect.
It's these boxes and crates which formed the lynchpin of this evening of physical theater, with said boxes containing a sometimes magical quality (at least in the eyes of the numerous youngsters present) as the balls appeared and disappeared inside them with perfect timing. Later on, as the boxes were moved about the stage, they served as destination points, as De Buck walked on top of them and/or "lept" from one to the next, covering the distance by being comically carried about by the others. With her feet never touching the ground, her movements offered a sensation of flight.
This was an enjoyable show for children and somewhat amusing for adults, with the former getting caught up in wonder of the different segments while the older folks could sit back and bemusedly enjoy the numerous feats of skill.
The most interesting piece had Alenda and Bory performing various jumps, moves and twists using the inside and top of what can best be described as an open door frame. In what became an intense game of one-upmanship, the two competed for De Buck's attention as she quietly observed their actions.
The performance was helped immeasurably by the decision to keep the set mostly in shadow (nice work by lighting designer Arno Veyrat), adding to the general mysteriousness of the piece and allowing the various movements and action to take center stage. Sound design by Stephane Ley also worked well, and was quite important, as there was no dialogue in the piece, though there was a bit of musical accompaniment at times (by Alenda and Bory). Additionally, with a scant 55 minute running time, the show was perfectly designed for little tykes with short attention spans.
ijk
The New Victory Theater
209 West 42nd Street
Tickets: 646-223-3010 or www.newvictory.org
Running time: Approximately 55 minutes
Closed: June 1, 2008
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication, The Stage.
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