Extra-‘Oratorio’-dinary!

‘Aurélia’s’ ART show is an almost unexplainable, must-see event

“Aurélia’s Oratorio” hearkens back to a simpler time when you didn’t need high resolution electronics to be entertained, a time when the visuals were more innocent, and knowing how the magic was being created didn’t hamper your ability to enjoy it.

Performance artist Aurélia Thierrée relies on dance, humor, illusions, acrobatics and a healthy dose of imagination as she charms the American Repertory Theatre audiences with this delightful piece, which she co-created with her mother, Victoria Thierrée Chaplin.

Victoria also happens to be the daughter of Charlie Chaplin and the wife of Jean Baptiste Thierrée, with whom she revolutionized the art of circus performing.

Aurélia seems to be blessed with incredible genes, melding the performance styles of the three legends into a unique blend of cerebral charm, physical prowess and childlike surrealism. Whether she’s flying through the air, contorting in a chest of drawers or living in an upside down reality, the accomplished artist makes you feel like she’s doing it all just for you, just to make your heart sing. And it works beautifully.

There’s an indefinable, optimistic magic in the air as Thierrée navigates her way through this seemingly disjointed dream world. She’s joined on stage in this performance by Jamie Martinez, who dazzles the crowd as he dances across the stage with a dress on a hanger and later climbs a mountain of red fabric. 

Though parts of “Aurélia’s Oratorio” might not make sense, by the time the locomotive goes through the tunnel for the final time, you’ll be so thoroughly charmed by Thierrée and Martinez that you’re sure to leave the theater feeling like a whimsical child who just had the most amazing dream. And like that child, you might have difficulty describing it.