Royal de Luxe: Press Echo London20 Jahre Mauerfall

Press Echo London 2006
»The SULTAN’S ELEPHANT«

Independent on Sunday, Howard Jacobson, 13. Mai 2006
We are entranced. We have not stopped smiling or looking dreamy for days. If you didn’t know us better you’d say we were in love, except that we are not suffering any of love’s unease. Not a condition we admit to very often in this column. As a rule we come to bury wonder not to praise it. […] But this week we have rediscovered the child in ourselves […] and are a-quiver with enchantment. »The Sultan’s elephant« is the cause.

Evening Standard, Robert Mendick, 8. Mai 2006
Thousands follow march of the elephant
London was brought to a standstill at the weekend by the bizarre sight of an enormous wooden elephant and a 30ft puppet girl. […] Whether onlookers managed to follow the plot, based on Jules Verne’s »The Sultan’s Elephant«, didn’t really matter. What counted was that thousands will be able to tell their grandchildren of the day an elephant blocked central London’s street.

The Observer, Susannah Clapp, 14. Mai 2006
Jumbo lands in the middle of the city
As summer finally arrived, so too did a giant elephant… and a million people came to central London to enjoy a staggering spectacle that has changed the way we think about street theatre.

The Guardian, Emma Brockes, 6. Mai 2006
Elephant in the city – Is it advertisement? Is it a bomb?
No it’s French street art
People in Carlton House Terrace pressed against the upper windows and office workers massed on the roofs of Pall Mall. […]»The Sultan’s elephant«, a theatrical event by the French theatre company Royal de Luxe, is to street art what a glacier is to ice cubes.

Daily Mail, 6. Mai 2006
»There is something very political about closing the streets of central London, not for a state visit or a sporting triumph, but for art. Maybe a few taxi drivers will be irritated, but it is both a provocation and a joy that challenges the public to inhabit the physical space of the city and reminds us that the streets do belong to us.« Helen Marriage, organizer of the event

Life, Juni 2006
London became the City of Giants last month […]. Based loosely on the works of Jules Verne, the company’s show »The Sultan’s Elephant« which tells the story of a sweet young girl and a time-travelling pachyderm, cast a magical spell over its audience. One Londoner spoke for all in thanking the puppeteers »for reminding me how to be a child.«

Blackmore Vale Magazine, Fanny Charles, 12. Mai 2006
»What is it for?« asked the young Sikh. »Fun«, I said. And explained that »The Sultan’s elephant« had come to London on an official visit […].
But the greatest effort was one of wonder and joy. The elephant made everyone feel happy. He was beautiful and magical. […] It was a glorious eccentric and unifying experience for everyone. People of all races, colours, ages and backgrounds were simply enjoying the spectacle together.