La Manékine by La Pendue at MimeLondon 2025
Review by Jo Tomalin for FORALLEVENTS.com
La Manékine by La Pendue, a theatre company from France performed January 14 to 18, 2025 presented by MimeLondon at the Pit theatre, Barbican, London, UK. MimeLondon 2025, their debut year, is produced by Helen and Joseph, the long time creators and artistic directors of The London International Mime Festival, which completed its run in 2023. The new MimeLondon is stated on the website to be: an occasional series of curated international physical and visual theatre.
La Manékine is an intriguing story adapted from a dark Brothers Grimm tale The Girl Without Hands about deception and love created and directed by La Pendue’s Estelle Charlier and Romuald Collinet.
Performed by Charlier and Martin Kaspar Orkestar in French with English surtitles the sixty five minute show is about a poor miller, his daughter and the devil. Charlier is front and centre as the storyteller and puppeteer. Her fluid movement that is clownish at times and the choice of speaking with a gruff voice is an effective mix of physical and character storytelling with puppetry.
Oh yes, and there’s a one person orchestra with musician Orkestar who plays up to three instruments at the same time! Music underscores this performance beautifully and adds visceral atmosphere from Orkestar. At times he leaves his musical base and becomes another character interplaying with Charlier, who is a a compelling storyteller puppeteer who has fun playing the weird characters and so do we watching them. She works a range of puppets and masks from small creatures to large on an inventive stage that transforms into forests, hiding places, and more with minimal props.
Charlier relates to the audience with eye wink complicity because she is in the know about what will happen as she joyously guides us through the fun journey of this tale. Projections add visual depth to the story and what seems at first like a simple idea unfolds into a gloriously charming performance experience. Story adaptation and texts are by Romaric Sangars. We often say that theatre is an escape from the everyday into another world and La Manékine is exactly that. La Pendue together with performers Charlier and Orkestar have created an imaginative performance with surprises that will resonate afterwards. Highly Recommended!
More information:
MimeLondon
https://mimelondon.com
La Pendue Theatre Company
https://www.lapendue.fr/language/en/actualities/
Jo Tomalin studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She completed the two year professional course at Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris, France, where she also completed the Laboratoire du Mouvement (LEM) scenography, mask and movement course.
Originally from England, Jo is currently based in San Francisco, where she reviews Theatre & Dance for www.ForAllEvents.com & www.FringeReview.co.uk. She is a Professor in the School of Theatre & Dance at San Francisco State University where she teaches performance subjects and directs MainStage plays. She also works in the performing arts field as a freelance movement & voice specialist, director + actor. Jo’s play “Jessica” which she also directed was produced at the Fringe of Marin – a One Act New Play Festival in Northern California.
Jo Tomalin graduated with a degree from London University’s Laban Centre Teaching Credential program in Modern Dance, Art of Movement & Choreography; studied Classical Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London; completed a teacher’s diploma (ATCL) in Voice and Acting from Trinity College of Dramatic Art, London; and studied classical ballet for 12 years.
Jo also holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University, MN, and a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University in the USA.
