In a rare visit to the Capital, Stan’s Cafe are performing The Cardinals this week at the Roundhouse Studio, Chalk Farm.

The show is part of a programme of visual theatre that makes up this year’s London International Mime Festival.  Like our Roundhouse neighbours, the Argentinian adrenaline-junkies Fuerzabruta, who are currently performing in the Main House, Stan’s Cafe are pulling out all the technical stops in an attempt to dazzle the audience. Here’s what Rochi’s onstage operating desk looks like;

The week started with two sell-out shows to warm and vocally appreciative audiences, but there are tickets still available for the remaining performances, which conclude this saturday, 19th January.

Here are some (not uncritical) reviews from the opening night;

The Cardinals, reviewed by Lyn Gardner in The Guardian

Honour Bayes in The Stage

Mary Halton for ThePublicReviews

Chris’s Webblog

Jill Truman in The Islington Gazette

Here, director James talks about the origins of The Cardinals project and the difficulties of editing / refining the piece as it evolves in performance.

Ps. I’ve omitted the link to Dominic Cavendish’s Telegraph review, which describes the show as “dragging us across the threshold of patience into new realms of tedium.” You’ll have to hunt that one down yourselves (…always a pleasure to piss the Telegraph off).

Don’t take anybody else’s word for it. Come along and make your own mind up.