Tutu ★★

By The Recs SCD - Steve Coats-Dennis 2 years ago

With Tutu, French dance company Quartier Libre Productions pay their own tribute to dance.

With one of the most beautiful and eye-catching posters on the Fringe, it is no surprise that intrigued Edinburgh audiences are flocking to see this highly-anticipated dance show. In their publicity, Quartier Libre say that Tutu is where incredible dance skills and comedy intertwine seamlessly. Unfortunately, this is not the case. 

The general conceit is that an all-male troupe of six dancers are to cast a playful eye over dance in its many forms and humorously to debunk them. Therefore we get forays into Swan Lake, Argentine Tango, a rugby haka, Dirty Dancing, rumba and so on.

There is no doubting the skill and talent of the performers. Occasionally there are moments of invention. Two dancers perform a traditional pas de deux with the Ballerina’s lifts becoming gravity defying thanks of two other performers camouflaged in the dark with black body suits doing the heavy lifting. 

Attempts at humour on the other hand are woeful. Quacking ducks replacing elegant swans entertained only the youngest members of the audience. A send up of Strictly Come Dancing, a show that has massively increased the popularity of dance in the UK, comes across as rather snobbish sneering – intimating that the dancers are most concerned with the phone vote than the dance. Considering that one of Tutu’s stated aims is to make “dance accessible to all”, you’d think their inclusion of Strictly would be more affectionate. 

Dialogue such as “Are you Billy The Faggot?” features in a short section where homophobic bullying of male dancers is briefly touched upon but bafflingly, subsequent passages featuring rhythmic gymnastics and then hair whipping seem to evoke stereotypes that are laughing at women rather than with.   

As anyone who has watched the clowns in Cirque Du Soleil will attest, all humour is subjective. The steady stream of audience members leaving the performance would suggest that Tutu is wide of the mark of that comedy bullseye.

Not in the same league as Matthew Bourne’s all-male Swan Lake. Not as funny as Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Tutu‘s poster just goes to show that appearances can be deceiving. 

Tutu…Two – ★★ Two Stars

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The Recs SCD - Steve Coats-Dennis