The Toad Knew: James Thierrée, Sadler's Wells

London fans of dance and theatre were last left trying to make sense of their encounter with this multi-talented performer and director two years ago, when he brought his mysterious production Tabac Rouge to Sadler's Wells.


London audiences now have another opportunity to step into the beautifully bizarre world of this visionary theatre man with his latest creation, The Toad Knew, which wowed audiences at the Edinburgh Festival in the Summer.

Set in a strange fairy-tale lair, The Toad Knew combines dancers (including Thierrée himself), contortionists, high-wire artists, music, mechanical marvels and quirky humour. Devised around the concept of the family, The Toad Knew explores the unforgiving love between brothers and sisters by interweaving sweet dreams with childish terrors.

Thierrée is one of Europe’s most endlessly inventive and unclassifiable artists. He was born into the circus: Charlie Chaplin was his grandfather. The American playwright Eugene O’Neill was his great-grandfather.

Constantly experimenting with the power of performance in dance and theatre, his approach draws upon his colourful background and there are distinctly Chaplinesque passages in this work.

The result is a captivating form of physical theatre, brimming with innovation and expression.

Since founding Compagnie du Hanneton in 1999, Thierrée has created five epic, weirdly wonderful full-length works for the company. These have established his reputation for showcasing extraordinary physical skill while immersing audiences in a totally unique experience that can only ever be interpreted, never fully understood.

Expect the unexpected and you won’t be disappointed…