Dimanche
Power Center
Ann Arbor
Jan. 10, 2026
When there’s a hurricane barreling towards your house and blowing all your belongings away, sometimes you just have to ignore it all and keep sipping champagne … at your own peril, of course.
That’s one of the main throughlines of “Dimanche,” a stunning tale of climate change and its broad wave of effects on the world. The show was put on by a duo of award-winning Belgian mime and puppetry companies (Chaliwaté and Focus Companies) that have performed “Dimanche” over 500 times all over the world. The show features live actors at times making use of the puppets.
Their dedication to their craft shows. When I caught the 75-minute performance at the Power Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday night, it didn’t take long for me to declare it one of my favorite performances I’ve ever seen on a stage.
“Dimanche,” which means Sunday in French, is deliberate with its movements. Makes sense for a group of mimes and clowns putting on a show. And, in the true nature of puppetry, nothing is as it seems upon first look in this world.
Two main storylines weave in and out. First we’re introduced to a trio of explorers who are filming extreme nature events for a TV show. It’s a strong first impression, too. One of the performers splays themselves out on a table when another puppeteer drives an RV up and down the “winding, wintery roads” of their arms and back. Slowly, the scale of the RV gets bigger before we’re finally taken inside of the vehicle itself, our three adventurers bumping along and listening to Paul Simon as they approach their icy destination.
Then we’re brought into a sleepy could-be-anywhere house where a small family is having a lazy Sunday (hence the title). Until an unbearable heat starts melting the vinyl record spinning on the record player … and then the coat rack … and then the table itself…
“Dimanche” is a cinematic experience built around these loosely tied together vignettes, like a couple trying to enjoy a Sunday dinner while a hurricane blows through their front door), pulling the camera in and out to show varying effects of climate change without beating you over the head with over-the-top messaging.
Scale is everything here. The props on the stage start small before expanding and retracting, so when “Dimanche” gets big, it really feels massive. The impressive physical performances from the actors themselves, tied together with immersive audio and visual, successfully transports the audience to the exotic locations “Dimanche” wants to take you.
The year has just begun, but there’s no doubt “Dimanche” will end up on my favorites of 2026 list.
