Glob ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Les Foutoukours return to Edinburgh with Glob, a circus adventure like no other! Without a single word, two lovable characters tumble, glide and soar through the unknown. Join them as they discover a world that is tender, magical and wonderfully absurd. They’ll make you laugh, gasp and cheer – all while tugging at your heart. For anyone who needs the world to slow down just a little, Glob is a wordless journey where emotion speaks louder than words. Perfect for all ages, it will delight and enchant audiences, young and old.”

The direction is lovely. And I absolutely adored it. The decision to let the production breathe is especially effective. There is no frantic rush to get from one circus trick to another. Instead, the characters are allowed to explore, react and exist within this world. It creates an incredibly refreshing gentleness. And for a show with barely any dialogue, the physical storytelling is remarkably clear.

The movement is exceptional. Every movement feels deliberate, whether it is a tiny gesture, a reaction between the two characters or one of the show's much larger circus sequences. The performers communicate so much without words that you quickly stop thinking about the absence of dialogue. You understand them. Their physicality also creates a wonderful sense of character. These aren't simply circus performers completing tricks; they are two personalities discovering each other and the strange world around them.

At first glance, the set by Rémi Jacques looks wonderfully sparse: a strange, snowy, nearly otherworldly landscape with weathered elements, hanging structures and a large ladder that feels as though it has somehow appeared from another universe. But then the set starts doing things. Hidden surprises, openings, and trapdoors reveal themselves throughout the performance, so you hardly ever know what might happen next. It becomes part of the magic.

There is something particularly pleasing about watching a seemingly simple object suddenly become a completely different part of the story. The set constantly rewards curiosity, just as the characters themselves are constantly curious about their surroundings.

And then there are the glowing globes. The lighting by Rémi Jacques and Jacinthe Racine is incredible. The glowing balls scattered throughout the world are gorgeous, and the way the performers interact with them creates some genuinely beautiful stage pictures. They aren't simply lighting effects. They become objects of fascination for the characters, and therefore for us.

The production repeatedly finds ways to make light feel tangible, something the characters can discover, play with, and even struggle to understand. It gives GLOB a magical quality without ever becoming overly complicated.

The costumes by Philippe Massé, made by Chantal Mailly, are wonderful. The two characters look like they have wandered out of some wonderfully strange snowy dream. The huge, fluffy white costumes, grey hair, and bright red noses immediately make them adorable, slightly alien, and completely recognisable.

The costumes have a softness that fits the rest of the production perfectly. They make the performers look almost like clouds or snow rather than conventional circus clowns, which helps create the show's distinctive visual identity.

Jean-Félix Bélanger and Martin Lizotte create a beautiful soundscape. It immerses us in this strange little universe, creating an atmosphere that is simultaneously peaceful, magical, and somewhat surreal.

The music is also used beautifully during the individual sequences. The song choices complement the performers rather than simply sitting underneath the action, and several of the musical moments are genuinely beautiful. The result is a sound world that gives GLOB much of its emotional character.

Rémi Jacques and Jean-Félix Bélanger are simply wonderful. They create two incredibly adorable personas that you cannot help but fall in love with. Their entrances alone are stunning, immediately establishing the characters and the world they inhabit. From there, the characterisation remains beautifully consistent. Every look, gesture and reaction tells us something. But these aren't just two brilliant clowns. They are seriously multi-talented circus performers.

We get acrobatics, juggling, diablo, tap dancing, hand-to-hand work and some wonderfully inventive sequences both together and individually. The physical skill on display is extraordinary, but it never feels like the performers are showing off for its own sake.

One of my personal highlights was the diabolo work. I have seen plenty of diabolo on stage, but I don't think I've ever seen it used quite like this. The show's inventive take on the traditional circus skill gives it a completely new personality. And that is what GLOB does so well. It takes familiar circus ingredients and puts them within a world where they feel new again.

There is something wonderfully refreshing about a show that doesn't demand anything from you other than your imagination. In the middle of the Edinburgh Fringe, in which every other poster seems to be screaming at you to come and see something RIGHT NOW, GLOB quietly opens the door to another world and says: Come in. And you absolutely should.

GLOB is performed by Les Foutoukours, starring Rémi Jacques and Jean-Félix Bélanger, at Underbelly Bristo Square – McEwan Hall (Venue 302). It runs 5–30 August 2026 at 15:00, runs approximately 60 minutes, and is suitable for ages 5+.

🎟️ Book tickets for GLOB: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/glob