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September 6, 2017 | What Did You Think?,
What Did You Think of Reversible?
Thank you for joining us for Reversible! We are so happy to have 7 Fingers back in the Majestic and are excited to hear about your experience.
As you may have read, director Gypsy Snider asked the company “who are you?” and sent them to their grandparents to find the answers. A collaboration between Gypsy, the performers, and the designers interpreted these interviews and created the performance you saw this evening.
What are the sections you loved?
If you came with people, what did you talk about when you left?
And how have your grandparents shaped who you are today?
Reversible was as entrancing, exhilarating, and breathtaking as all 7 Doigts shows are. I think this is the first of their shows that has brought me to tears; hearing the fragments of stories of the cast members’ family stories was really moving. And the lyrical juggling (only 7 Doigts could make juggling lyrical) at the very end, especially the moment of 8 balls in the air, was perfect.
Hello, My daughter and I attended the show. This was a birthday gift to her from me. She wondered as we entered the theater where are all the young people at? She had so many questions. I was trying to surprise her. I think she thought she was going to a Beyoncé concert. Ha ha. From the beginning to the end we both were captivated. Our eyes never left the stage ( for 1 1/2 hours ).
I kept peeking over at her to see if she was enjoying herself. I ordered her a very pricey cup of red wine and she was relaxed and in awe. We both were.
The strength of these performers was beyond my comprehension. Are they even sweating , I asked my daughter and a young man sitting on the other side of me. He said” I don’t see any sweat either. I’m sure it was there. Lololol.
Breathtaking stories in the form of dance and acrobatics. It’s really indescribable.
Me 76 and my daughter 41….Gasped, Sighed, laughed, was tense and having an delicious time.
Afterwards…we asked each other ” were they French or Italian or Greek.
We were so excited… we didn’t read the progam. I must get tickets for my 7 year old grandchildren. The best show of the summer. ThanQ
Please let us know what your granddaughter thinks of it, Fulani!
It’s an incredibly exciting and moving show. Don’t miss it!
The performers are all very gifted, talented, wonderful people. The choreography, the acrobatics…..outstanding. The theater, perfect….The volume however was painful for me. It really did detract from the show for me. I don’t know if I was sitting right under a speaker, but I left with a headache…. Just something to consider.
Yes, I also felt the volume was too high-unnecessarily. I did love the variety of music, from the Bach prelude to french song to world music old jazz circus feel. It does of course complement and enhance the movement and mood on stage; but needn’t be as loud!
Note taken, Sarah. See my response to Jim, below, for a bit of detail on that. Thank you for the feedback and the generous spirit in which it is delivered.
An amazing and absolutely beautiful show. We loved it. Just please go back to calling them 7 Doigts as ArtsEmerson did all these years… The 7 Fingers translation just doesn’t seem as lovely.
A great note, Helen. Sept Doigts is using the English translation of their name in the US in particular (they are still Sept Doigts in Canada) primarily because the French was hampering their opportunities in this country. While at ArtsEmerson we are developing an audience that celebrates the many different languages of performance, and leans in to its challenges, this is not the case in many places. You keep calling them Sept Doigts de la Main! That’s who they are to us as well. And they will keep speaking in multiple languages from the stage. And maybe there will be an opening of the minds, in general, to our multilingual, multicultural reality.
Excellent, inventive circus performances, framed in a vague tribute to progenitors. But why have the sound system at “stun”? I know we are all deafening ourselves with earphones, but no need to make it worse.
Yes– the company experienced the sound as too loud as well, and adjusted the sound levels down after the first few shows. This is one of the risk edges of touring work. Each theater has a unique acoustic and it can take a few performances with live “sound absorbing” bodies to get the right balance. They want to keep a heightened level of energy and drama under the performers without overwhelming the audiences ears. The combination of level and speaker placement caused some real hot spots in the house that had to be ironed out. I am sorry it impacted your experience, Jim. And thank you for letting us know.
Third 7 doights show I’ve seen and was still captivated like a kid. Sweet, funny and acrobatic!
I went to the Sat matinée yesterday with my 14-year-old son, his dad, and my dear high school friend and her daughter (12.) We all loved the show and, as others have written, were transfixed from beginning to end. As a yoga enthusiast since my 30s, I was particularly moved by the women with their combination of incredible core strength, grace, bringing characters and moods to life and, of course, the high, high level of skill demonstating years of study and practice. Then, true to great dancers or musicians, the audience is free to enjoy the fruits of that devotion in simple joy and wonder and gratitude. Or at times they played with the idea of how hard they were breathing and joked about it at rhe mic. – felt alive and connected to our experience.
It was funny and touching and thought provoking. I wish my grandmother had seen a show like this- she would have been in awe and laughed aloud and maybe cried as I did for the sheer joy and beauty on stage. I loved the playing with erotica in an almost old circus lion tamer way with the whip (yet without objectifying the woman or man)- playing with the dangers and desires in a way that is ok for kids to see as well. The rope and ribbons climbing scene with the two women was gorgeous and gasp-inducing; I had never seen that type of wheel device the one man spun around in- super visual effect; and another highlight for me was the springboard seesaw act. And to take “hula hoops” and transform them into a work of art with lighting and her amazing limberness and coordination- it was absolutely lovely to behold and creatively conceived.
Thank you, merci, arigato, danke, gracias etc etc etc.
Les Sept Doigts de la Main are one of our favorite groups from Montreal. When we saw that they were coming, we invited our kids and grandkids to join us yesterday. Afterwards, we each weighed in on our favorite parts, and among the six of us, we hit just about all of them. I was tickled by the excerpt from La Cantatrice Chauve, but my favorite part was with the golden hoops.
With my parents and grandparents gone, I am especially cognizant of the need to ask all of our questions of our forebears before they leave us, but I know that that’s not possible. I frequently want to know something that nobody living can tell me, so I think that sending the cast to their grand- and great-grand-parents was a real gift to them.
It was ‘speak out loud’ amazing! I heard myself and others around me saying “wow”! “cool”! “how do they do that?” “incredible”! during the performance. What great family entertainment – not just taking the kids “to the circus” – but seeing something that is artistic and athletic and magical and tells stories and showcases dedicated performers.
Thanks for sharing, Jill. I agree– It is so great seeing all the families in the audience. Especially the grandparents and grandchildren.
I love circus shows and have probably been to twenty this year. I saw Cuisine and Confessions and loved it! Reversible was not my favorite. I agree that the music was loud and the pace was a bit frantic. I absolutely loved the Chinese Pole, spectacular! My sadness was that the rope and silks was a duo. I had just come from a silks class, super beginner, and would have loved to follow her every move but the ropes is always amazing so I kept trying to see everything and missed much of both.
What a great performance to attend with grandchildren! The incredible choreography and physical virtuosity embody the stories that the young performers uncovered from interviewing their grandparents and researching ancestors. The connection of story to action is not always obvious, but it is always thought-provoking. The performer rotating amazingly in the huge metal “German wheel” reminds us of the cycles of life as the recorded voice tells us the story of his grandpa from birth to death.
The details of the set itself reflect the home aesthetic of the fifties, the decade when many of these performers’ grandparents were their age. The tacky wood paneling, doors and knobs, print curtains and blue corded wall phone certainly brought me back. The humorous moments provided perfectly timed interludes between the great feats of strength, balance, coordination and daring. The bride, entangled in yards of tulle, giggling and falling out of the closet onto the floor and into our hearts, finally detangles herself and stomps out the door saying “This is not what I want for my life,” a statement almost unheard of in the pre-women’s lib fifties.
My almost16-year-old granddaughter was blown away by the strength and agility of the woman doing handstands on vertical “stilts,” leaning to the side with solid core/oblique strength and moving her legs gracefully in the air. Hard enough to do on the floor, but balanced on a couple of sticks? Phenomenal! My 14-year-old granddaughter particularly enjoyed the trampoline seesaw duet with the two men, doing astonishing shapes, twists and somersaults in the air, sometimes landing on top of the set. I loved the fact that the seesaw was only revealed after a delightful scene of them repeatedly jumping up to land on top of the walls of the set and disappearing behind them.
Who can forget the grace and virtuosity of the hoop dancer, catching hoops falling from the air with three different parts of her body? Or the juggler with red balls and the juggler in the clothesline scene somehow rolling the balls behind his neck and ever so gently tossing and catching eight of them?
A choreographer and dancer myself, I thought the scenes on the tall pole were wonderful. The performers ascended almost magically and descended in surprising ways- fast and circular, dangling from another performer’s body (who herself was upside-down, gripping the pole with her legs) or flying backwards into the group below.
Even if the circus skills were not part of the show, the dancing, music, and choreography were compelling. I was moving in my seat for most of the ninety minutes. The choreography blended contact improvisation concepts with modern dance and release with occasional sharp staccato moves we see mostly in hip hop, but it was unique unto itself.
The final scene is lovely and bittersweet. I became teary a few times during this performance. After the show, I said to my grandchildren, “You know, some of it was about grandparents dying, and I want to stay as healthy and active as I can so I don’t have to leave you too soon.”
Thank you for taking the time to write so fully of your experience, Dawn. This show is touching many people in surprising (but intended) ways. I wish we could have them with us longer, so more people could find it. Alas, they are due back in Europe and can only be here one more week. Tell your friends!
Thanks for your response. I also meant to say that the two “Reversible” or almost mirrored aerial dancers took that art form to new heights, in all senses of the expression.
I heard a review by Jared Bowen on WGBH this morning. It was very good, but he lacked the time to dive deeply into the work. I have spread the word to my book group, my gym, etc.
For me personally, it was fascinating to see so many themes that I have touched on in my own choreography: a piece called Beyond Walls with Dance Collective and our outreach teens, Blue Cheer, based on laundry, Conversation Piece with dancers wrapped in phone cords having absurdist conversations, Housewares with a woman sliding out of a linen closet, even a dance around a pole (not in the current style of pole dancing though!)
Riveting show. Was entertaining from the moment we sat down. The pure strength and coordination is incredible to watch from the performers. Watching them complete multiple different styles of tricks and excel at all of them really details the amazing skill and talents they have developed over the years.
This was a very moving show for me. Circus arts can sometimes leave me feeling like I’ve experienced a “spectacle”: There are plenty of “wow” moments that live in isolation, outside of meaningful context. That was NOT the case with this show. The actors’ physical courage and dramatic bravery combined to hit me square in the gut! I didn’t need to understand what they were doing at all times, because I FELT what they were doing. IMHO “good” theatre touches the heart, the intellect and gut, leaving you at once elated and questioning, joyous and sad! Reversible picked me up from the start and carried me on an amazing journey! Their acrobatics had dramatic purpose. What power! For one and a half hours time stopped, and our collective humanity streamed in front of me. I am so thankful to that courageous cast!! BRAVO!!
Isn’t it mysterious, Ben, how they manage to move us with such a gossamer thread of story/text. It’s something moving under the surface of the amazement. One of the things I always love about this company is that we come to know each of the performers so seemingly well and to feel so much for them at the curtain call.
I attended last night’s show and was very glad I did….the PR and visuals were enticing enough to get me to the computer to buy tickets so congratulations on cutting through all the other offerings in an arts-active city.
As for the show itself, the overall impression is “impressed”. (besides the music which was a tad over loud), the use of moving walls was genius. It allowed more uses than one would normally entertain and showcased everyone’s athleticism. I especially loved the seesaw acrobatics — the German wheel; comedy inserted at just the right times; the acrobatics which makes you look at the human form in a way to appreciate what it can do, and more.
Congratulations to all performers and to ArtsEmerson and your beautiful theater.
Thank you for taking the chance on us and the show. Hope we will see you again soon!
As happens whenever I see their performances, I’m convinced they’re the smartest people in the building. The subtlety of each person’s/performer’s responses –verbal and, yup, non-verbal — to the others seems to be the accumulation of decades-worth of observation, curiosity, and unsentimental empathy. Their rehearsals must themselves be something to see! How about keeping them here for, oh, say, a couple of months!
One of these visits we are going to get a long run in, Ron. I couldn’t agree more! There are so many more people who need to find these guys than ever do in a three-week run! Thanks for writing.
The show was amazing. And after it was done, I felt like a museum visitor being told the museum was closing and I would have to come back tomorrow if I needed more time to experience this work of art. The second show was also amazing. And as a juggler, I would love see them in practice mode.
I flew from Denver to Boston specifically to see Reversible. Visceral, enchanting and raw, 7 Doits troupe translated ancestoral stories with the vibrancy and emotion they deserve. The universality was communicated by the interaction between all the performers, which ranges from tender to cheeky to tumultuous. Only my third 7 Doigts show, but amazed by what they accomplish on a stage through simplistic sets and the choreographic nature of their acrobats. Reversible delivered that fine chill one gets when seeing someone at the height of their craft.
We were surprised, delighted, and amazed by Reversible! Moving narrative, intense/terrific music, and brilliantly choreographed. But the actors are the gems in the piece. Amazing range, dance and acrobatic work that had me hiding my eyes, staring, laughing, crying and cringing. Rope moves high above the stage are just one example…graceful, fearless, moving.
We loved it!
I may be tainted, due to having seen Cirque Du Soleil and Machine De Cirque, etc, but I found Reversible rather reptative and confusing. I did not get the train of thoughts and some of the intros to the perfomance acts were bizarre and/or depressing. The multitude of moving parts of the stage added interest expcially as used with the act and not just to create a scene, but overall I was greatly disappointed.
Love this! I have seen it four times now and each time find more to admire.
Wait– that was for Greg. Sorry that you were disappointed Karen. Each of us comes to each experience as ourselves, with our own cumulation of experiences and prederences and it is no surprise we do not all respond the same. Thanks for taking the risk to explore it. I hope you keep doing that! And that we connect with you more often than missing each other.
This was the second time my husband and I came to see 7 Fingers, and we brought friends who had never heard of them. The performance was mesmerizing, full of grace, beauty, and physical and emotional power. Our friends were, (as well as we were once again) blown away.
We will sing the praises for this amazing company whenever we can, as well as for Arts Emerson, for bringing them back!
It is an old community organizing maxim: “each one, bring one”. That’s how a movement grows. Thank you for helping to build the audience for the company and for ArtsEmerson. Hope to see you again soon!
I loved it! My 10yr old daughter and her friend loved it too. Every time I thought I found my favorite section, the next turn out even better! I especially loved to see the strong women of the troupe. The performers climbing up and down the pole, and the two ladies on the rope/sash were eventually my favs.
I totally relate to that experience– each one topping the one that came before. The final sequence is etched in my mind. So beautiful!
This was the second show of Les 7 Doights my wife and I have attended and we have become fans. The tremendous strength and athletic abilities of the cast are complemented by a great stage presence without the use of dialogue. Special effects and costumes are minimal, at least in contrast to their Canadian cousins, Cirque du Soleil, which, along with the cozy setting of Emerson’s Cutler Majestic Theater, make for a more intimate experience of the show. And kudos to those providing the musical score and the technical support!
This was an original score, their first commissioned score in fact. Glad you responded to it. You can listen to it on bandcamp even: https://les7doigts.bandcamp.com/album/reversible
The most exciting performance I have seen since I saw Branford Marsalis in Milano in 1991. My daughter (9) takes circus classes and also attended. She says “Really good and I had lots of fun and my favorite part was the rope because I love doing rope too. I also really liked the part where the Spanish speaking girl was doing the handstands. Where they jumped through doors and windows I really liked too”
Great to have the inter generational perspectives here, Aran!! Thank you for sharing.
Les 7 Doights has done it again! energetic, exhilerating, artistic, brilliant teamwork, choreography, astounding physical feats; touching moments of memory, rejection, confrontation, love. I especially liked the final billow scene, where the world is just one big fluffy curtain in which to hide, connect, emerge from, be. Mes félicitations!
Je suis desolée – I misspelled “Doigts!” LT
It left me speechless. It was so compelling, raw, emotional, awe inspiring and thoughtful. I was mesmerized from start to finish. I had not heard of Les 7 Doigts before attending the performance. I am hooked and would see them anytime-anywhere. Sublime
There is a growing crowd of people who see every 7 Fingers show when they are here. They will be back and I hope we will see there. Meanwhile, you might want to see HOME this weekend– in a totally different way, you’ll be blown away by the imagination and the raw emotions it conjures. These shows are part of why we describe ArtsEmerson as “intentionally different”. You won’t see them elsewhere in Boston and you’ve never seen anything like them!
First, this is one of the BEST shows I have seen in a long time! We were a group of 7 with a mixed of ages: from 16 to 65. We ALL loved it. The music, the choreography, the talent, the emotions expressed throughout the performance. A day later we had a dinner together and continued to talk about it. Two of us bought the music. CONGRATULATIONS to such talented performers and director.
Well, that is about perfect for us, Mari. The intergenerational endorsement, the conversation it sparked, and the fact that you wanted to take something home with you from it- all validate the programming choice here. Love it when we nail it and people feel it!
I loved it so much, I went for a second time last night!!!! And I would go see it again….. I have also downloaded the album…. LOVE listening to it over and over…. Such a great show!!
We love the “repeat offenders”! There were people who saw this one as many as five times over the run. Thank you for sharing.