Cirque Aïtal
Pour le meilleur et pour le pire (For Better or for Worse)
Cirque Aïtal
Pour le meilleur et pour le pire (For Better or for Worse)
It’s feisty, fragile and heartbreakingly funny when Victor and Kati show us their lives as circus artists and lovers. As the dust rises in the circus ring, a battered Simca 1000 appears, and, around it, the daily drama that we can all recognize unfolds.
You love, you quarrel and you play badminton. But this particular couple, working hard on their relationship, isn’t really any old couple – they’re two of the world’s best hand acrobats.
Victor Cathala and Kati Pikkarainen have been on tour with this highly successful production since 2011. In their charming circus tent they create pure magic to the tones of AC/DC, reggae versions of classics by The Clash and subtle chansons. The occasional barking of dogs adds to the golden glow of the evening.
In previous performances, Victor and Kati have worked a lot with their physical differences – he’s a towering Frenchman, almost two meters tall, and she’s a diminutive girl from Finland, half a meter shorter than her partner – but this time, in Pour le meilleur et pour le pire, the theme is more universal. This clever and moving show is reminiscent of the early films of Finnish director Kaurismäki – stories about stubborn figures in run-down environments, full of poetry, humor and rock-n-roll.
Concept and performance: Kati Pikkarainen and Victor Cathala
Artistical Support: Michel Cerda
Musical score: Helmut Nünning
Light design: Patrick Cathala
Costumes: Odile Hautemulle
Construction and scenography: Alexander Bügel
Circus consultant: Jani Nuutinen
Sound and electronics: Andreas Neresheimer
Tour producer: Ingrid Rivet