Leo – Circle of Eleven

Overview

Physical theatre is one of those things that has the timeless ability to move and entertain us. Something about its characters' lack of language is instantly relatable; Charlie Chaplin's tramp, and Jacques Tati's M. Hulot remain classic characters untarnished by time.

Leo, by Berlin's Circle of Eleven, follows their footsteps into the theatre, in the form of an hour-long one-man show. The twist is, through ingeniously simple techniques, the show shifts gravity around the performer: on one half of the stage is the actor, in the flesh, and on the other half is a live projection whose perspective swaps wall for floor. Suddenly, a whole new physical dimension is opened up for the performer and character.

But acrobatic feats and mute pratfalls do not a theatre show make. Making these tools work toward the expression of an idea (Beckettesque absurdity, in this case) or an emotion is what makes Leo promise to be a richly entertaining hour of theatre.