DU19, Philippe Saire, Hocus Pocus, The Place

Hocus Pocus comes from Switzerland, and had its UK premiere at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, where one reviewer described it as ‘a gorgeous piece of art.’ Now, Lausanne-based director and choreographer Philippe Saire brings his short family show to London, under the auspices of DU19.

Intended primarily for children aged 7–11, Saire's Hocus Pocus is based on the power of images, their magic and the sensations they provoke.

Resorting to dance, theatre, a lot of stage trickery and a score drawn from Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Hocus Pocus is perhaps best described, in the words of another Edinburgh reviewer, as ‘an installation.’

Whichever way you choose to describe it, it's an enticing show.


All the action, entrusted to two male performers, takes place between two horizontal strips of white light. Within that space, the performers undertake a fantasy journey into space.

Strange shapes appear, which could be far away galaxies or something else dictated by your own imagination; until you realise they are actually parts of the performers’ bodies… Other shapes, other illusions develop.

With vivid costumes and creative props, Hocus Pocus is primarily a visual spectacle, and although there is a narrative of sorts, the Edinburgh critics were unanimous in finding it wasn’t that easy to follow.

However, the lack of an absolutely clear narrative appears not to interfere with the magical spell cast by this unusual show; and all reports note that its audiences, young and old(er) were entranced throughout.

Hocus Pocus is also showing at:
Fairfield Halls on 18 Oct
artsdepot on 24 Oct
Stratford Circus Arts Centre on 26 Oct