Jeux sans mots

Choice: One to see in the next seven days;

The Belgians are coming. And this time they're not bringing delectable chocolates, or vinyl discs encoded with fearsome hardcore techno. No, they're bringing mime, to the 18th London International Mime Festival (today to 28 Jan). There are workshops in subjects from juggling to mask- work, live animation events, and circus aplenty. The curtain-raiser is Twin Houses, by Belgium's Mossoux Bonte, a wordless multiple monologue for one performer and five mannequins. More Belgians for your money: Wurre Wurre are bringing their show, charmingly entitled Don't Wurre, a compendium of slapstick and vaudevillian humour. Theatre Manjana, on the other hand, are Swedish: they're doing a stylised, clown version of Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba. Meanwhile, The People Show, with 100 shows under their belt, embark on People Show 101, an exploration of the surreal rituals performed at dry-cleaning establishments (above). The other big event is from German Raimund Hoghe, who used to be Pina Bausch's dramaturg: Meinwarts is a one-man requiem for those who died in Germany under Nazism. And on no account miss the The Clod Ensemble, who wowed the BAC last year and are back with Musical Scenes. They're not Belgian, as it happens; they're British, and damn good.

STEVEN POOLE

Box-offices include: BAC, London SW11 (0171-223 2223); South Bank Centre, London SE1 (0171-960 4242) and ICA, London SW1 (0171-930 3647). Mime Festival Office (0171-637 5661)