Fresh from triumphs in Cirque Du Soleil's Saltimbanco and one-man shows in Paris and Sydney, Julien Cotterau is continuing to wow audiences at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Imagine Toi features the slender, youthful, hard-working mime in an ideal setting - a spacious tent on the grounds of Prices St. Gardens, with the famed Edinburgh castle looking down from on high.
Cotterau is more than just a mime: he acts, dances, clowns and - with the help of a mike - creates all his sound effects, everything from the roar of a lion to the bark of a puppy to the beating of an ardent lover's heart. Like all mimes, Cotterau creates situations in which the world (or creatures of his own invention) impinge on him, causing problems which he must overcome in panicked but antic fashion. An example being when he starts chomping on a piece of bubble gum only to become hopelessly tangled up in its sticky strands.
Combining the childish innocence of Bean, the cheekiness of Harpo and the satirical mimicry of Bip, Cotterau is a multi-faceted performer, one who has fun with all that is absurd about the human race.
He also involves the audience in his act, inviting people to take part in his improvised and madcap scenarios. He also specializes in physical humor - takeoffs on disco dancing, animal training, playing ball. No matter what he does, though, he does it in an hilarious and heart-warming way.
