Double Murder
(Clowns/The Fix)
Choreography & Music by Hofesh Shechter
Performed by Hofesh Shechter Company
A thrilling new double bill by internationally celebrated choreographer Hofesh Shechter, presenting two distinctly contrasting pieces for our times.
One half of the evening is Clowns, a sarcastic nod to our ever-growing indifference to violence; originally created for Nederlands Dans Theater 1 and later produced as a film and broadcast by the BBC to great acclaim. In a macabre comedy of murder and desire, Clowns unleashes a whirlwind of choreographed anarchy, testing how far we are willing to go in the name of entertainment.
As an antidote to the murderous, poisonous energy of Clowns, Shechter’s new creation, The Fix, brings a tender, fragile energy to the stage. It offers a raw and compassionate moment to balance the forces of aggression and violence that press on us daily. A shield to protect us from the noise of life outside, and a place that allows the performers to be fragile, be seen for their utmost human qualities. Violence, tenderness and hope are all laid bare through Shechter’s achingly beautiful, cinematic lens.
Performed by his inimitable dancers and accompanied by the epic sounds of a Shechter-composed score, Double Murder explores painful truths and delves into our deepest emotions.
Choreography & Music Hofesh Shechter
Lighting Design The Fix Tom Visser
Costume Design The Fix Peter Todd
Lighting Design Clowns Lee Curran
Additional Lighting Design Richard Godin
World premiere: Sadler’s Wells, London, UK – 14 September 2021
Further international and UK dates for 2023 are on sale now:
Take a look at our Clowns trailer below and listen to some Tracks from our new production.
Reviews
‘ghoulishly gripping and ominous as hell’
Sanjoy Roy - The Guardian****
‘It’s heartwarming and beautiful, an antidote to the suffering of the world’
Sarah Crompton - The Observer****
‘You leave refreshed, alive and a little changed’
Richard Maguire - The Reviews Hub *****
‘they move absolutely synchronously like one big breathing creature’
Elizaveta Kolesnikova - Theatre Weekly*****
‘…it twists and pulls on the audience’s expectations until, finally, it embraces them.’
Rosemary Waugh – inews****
‘The intricate musicality is matched by the dancers’ epic physicality’
Isaac Ouro-Gnao - The Stage***
‘…remarkably compelling’
David Mead - Seeing Dance
‘’Shechter’s Choreographic and musical ‘voice’ are reassuring as distinctive as ever…’
Mark Monahan – The Daily Telegraph ***
Track 1 (Clowns)
Track 2 (The Fix)
Clowns premiered on 29 April 2016 at Nederlands Dans Theater 1 in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Commissioners
Double Murder is produced by Hofesh Shechter Company.
Commissioned by Sadler’s Wells, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg. Co-commissioned by Shanghai International Dance Center Theater (SIDCT), Hong Kong – New Vision Arts Festival, National Performing Arts Center, Taiwan R.O.C. – National Taichung Theater, Festival d’Avignon, Danse Danse Montréal, Scène Nationale d’Albi, Torinodanza Festival / Teatro Stabile di Torino - Teatro Nazionale, Marche Teatro / Inteatro Festival, Opéra de Dijon and HOME Manchester. Developed in part at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Funding partners
Double Murder is supported by the International Music and Art Foundation.
Hofesh Shechter Company benefits from the support of BNP Paribas Foundation for the development of its projects and is supported using public funding through Arts Council England.