Category: Circus

Circus, Events, Festivals, Review, Whats On

Review: MOOKY CORNISH in Glories of Gloria Revue

Clowning around here is quietly amusing

By Myron My

Mooky Cornish takes to the stage in Glories of Gloria Revue for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival playing Gloria Rivard, a darling of the stage who is showcasing her amazing array of talents in her one-woman show.

Cornish is charming and comical with her mannerisms and facial expressions, and the show is entertaining for the most part, but on a whole, the content itself is just not very funny which is surprising seeing as Cornish is the lead clown and creator in Cirque du Soleil.

Mooky Cornish

The highlights of this show are when Gloria finds volunteers to help her perform scenes: Cornish is fantastic at being gentle with her audience and keeping them safe and happy at all times. One particular moment has Gloria acting out a romance scene with a member of the audience where his lines are stuck all over her costume and body. Fortunately, our particular audience member went along for the ride and had the whole audience in stitches. Also, the last Broadway number is not to be missed with its ‘all for one, and one for all’ mentality.

The costume changes – ten in all, and remember this is a 60 minute show – are elaborate and you can only wonder how Cornish is managing to execute them so quickly. A lot of time and effort has been put into the outfits and props in this show and Cornish ensures they are used to their full extent, including her use of the amazing sock puppets in ‘The Lonely Goatherd’.

However, the short segments of “ancestral film footage” we are shown whilst Gloria changes costume do lower the energy and audience engagement somewhat and made me feel like I was watching a commercial break as I wait for my TV show to resume.

Mooky Cornish’s Glories of Gloria Revue combines performance, music, dance and sketches: the description seems like a sure-fire comedy win but things are only gently lukewarm in this show.

Venue: Powder Room, Melbourne Town Hall, Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts. Melbourne

Season: Until 21 April | Tues-Sat 5:55pm, Sun 4:55pm

Tickets: $21 Full | $17 Concession

Bookings: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au, 1300 660 013 or at the door

Circus, Events, Festivals, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Circus Horrificus for MICF

Running away to join the circus just got dangerous – and hilarious

By Myron My

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is upon us and it is preview night for Circus Horrificus – It’s A Western. There is a sense of excitement and nerves as I take my seat: extreme physical circus acts is what has been promised, and boy, do these guys deliver.

Circus Horrificus

Unfortunately, the beginning of the show where we are introduced to Samora Squid and Bridget Bridge overstayed its welcome. Too much slapstick and I found the screeching and growling at each other rather irritating. I wasn’t amazed by anything and my interest was not piqued. It seemed that just when you thought it was going to go somewhere – it didn’t. Even the music in the background was distracting.

Once these two performers got over this initial hurdle however, they not only took it to the next level but smashed through it. Their energy heightened, their interaction got stronger and even the music was more harmonious with the action. There were many moments where the audience was equally mesmerised, horrified, cringing and cheering. It’s been a while since I have felt all these emotions at the same time and it really wreaks havoc with the your body – but this was nothing compared to what Squid and Bridge were enduring physically.

There were numerous times I wanted to clap but all I could do was watch in disbelief in the various acts they performed. I would love to be specific about what these two artists do but I really think half the fun is watching without foreknowledge the crazy antics they get up to – although I will note that fireworks get up close and personal in places they should never be near…

The way Squid and Bridge present themselves, the costumes and the props they use all give off the authentic flavour of a real circus sideshow act. It’s no surprise that they would choose to perform at the newly relocated Butterfly Club, itself being eponymous with the kitsch and carnivale.

Despite its rocky opening, Circus Horrificus’ Squid and Bridge do win the audience over with their crazy cheekiness and it’s always great to see something that definitely isn’t your standard stand-up comedian in this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 256 Collins St(entry via Carson Place), Melbourne

Season: Until 21 March | Tues-Wed, Sun 9:30pm

Tickets: $23 Full | $20 Concession

Bookings: www.butterflyclub.com or 9690 2000

Cabaret, Circus, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: CUT SNAKE at Theatreworks

Comic, crazy, commendable tale in a three-actor circus

By Christine Moffat

If you know the phrase ‘mad as a cut snake’, you have an inkling of what to expect from this award-winning show by the two years-young theatre company Arthur.  The show is mad, but thanks to playwrights Amelia Evans and Dan Giovannoni, there is fabulous method to the madness.

Although the show is acrobatic and surreal, with all emotions heightened, there is a base note of reality running underneath.  Evans and Giovannoni examine the central themes of friendship, love, death and the small moments in a life that change the world.

Cut Snake

The play revolves around four zany characters, Trix the snake, Kiki Coriander (Catherine Davies), Bob (Julia Billington) and Jumper (Kevin Kiernan-Molloy), any of which could justify their own circus act.  Despite this, the actors beautifully construct relationships that are accessible, relatable and touchingly domestic.

The direction of by devisor Paige Rattray is a great lesson in ‘less is more’.  The show takes place in a small circus tent on astroturf.  The ‘rough around the edges’ appearance is actually great stagecraft.  The show feels roughened, not rough: worn-in like a favourite pair of jeans.  This made the audience immediately comfortable in the high-energy, crazy, tiny theatre space.

Cut Snake is a strange, moving, funny, high-energy bundle of love and loss with a dash of experimental physics thrown in for good measure.  If you’ve ever had a best friend, ever thought about science or magic or asked yourself “What if?” then you will find yourself entertained and a little bit happier for having seen it.  As a bonus you will also find the answer to the million-dollar question: who would win in a fight between a horse and a hippo?  That alone is worth the ticket price.

Date: 25 Feb 2013 – 09 Mar 2013

Time: March 2- March 9 at 7:00pm, 11:30am matinees Wed and Fri

Price: Student groups $20, adults $30, conc/non-student groups $25 (plus booking fee)

Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au

Location: Theatreworks, 14 Acland St, St Kilda

Please Note: This production is performed at an outdoor location near Theatre Works; meet in the foyer at least 15 minutes before performance commences.

Circus, Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Cirque Du Soleil’s OVO

An exotic and mesmerising world of wonder and whimsy

By Tania Herbert

As a cheesy American accented voiceover runs through the sponsors, I begin to wonder whether my Cirque du Soleil experience will be all it’s cracked up to be. But I have little to fear. As the lights go down we get a strobe flash of a giant globe of light and impossibly iridescent costumed inserts perched in impossible positions around and above us, and then the show begins.

Photo by OSA Images

To describe Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo is a little like trying to describe a particularly gravity-defying dream. In some ways, Ovo is classic circus. The colourful ringmaster guides us through acts of clowning, acrobatics, tumbling, aerials and jugglers. However, with Cirque du Soleil, everything is turned on its head – often literally. Not only is there juggling, but its foot juggling (while balanced on someone else’s feet). The tight rope is, instead, a slack rope- on which the performer rides a unicycle, on his face (yes, his face).

However there is so much more to the story. The enigmatic “Ovo”, or egg in Portuguese, is the centerpiece of the insect world we are invited into, linking the performances and performers in both overt and subtle ways.  The Brazillian-themed piece weaves in multiple elements- the samba and bossa nova-inspired soundtrack (by composer and musical director Berna Ceppas) is played live on stage by cockroach-costumed performers (the beautiful Marie-Claude Marchand a particular highlight) with lyrics in Portuguese and insect-inspired sound effects. The insects chatter to us and each other throughout, with the lack of words adding to the sense of mystique. The rich three-dimensional sets and phenomenal costuming (by costume designer Liz Vandal) finish off this psychedelic Alice-in-Wonderland-type dreamscape.

And then there are the performances. The aerial silk is a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, the comical worker ants juggle giant pieces of fruit, and the spider contortionist leaves us really wondering how many legs she actually has. The mastery of their art in effortless acrobats and gymnastics are thrown at the audience without breaking pace, and the show moves flawlessly from act to act, with even set changes being integrated into the performance and beautiful to watch. The finale is the definite highlight, where we see crickets and spiders leaping and crawling up an eight-metre rock wall while giant mechanical flowers and showers of petals appear magically from the roof.

There were some small opening night “jitterbugs” – a dropped diabolo cup, a missed rope – and the premiere atmosphere was lacking by the relatively small number of children in the audience for whom some of the slapstick clowning was clearly targeted.

However, the circus magic was in full force, and it wasn’t only the kids who were literally screaming with excitement. Gluttony for the imagination, Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo is the absolute elite of international performing.

Venue: “The Grand Chapiteau” and Cirque du Soleil’s mobile village in New Quay, Docklands

Season: Jan 17th – March 24th

Tickets: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/tickets/melbourne.aspx

Circus, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Daniel Oldaker is DANDYMAN

Fine physical comedy from humble beginnings

By Myron My

Daniel Oldaker is physical theatre. Having seen him perform previously, I was quite excited to see what his new comedy show Dandyman would entail.

Dandyman

After what was probably the most captivating and engaging entrance for a show I have seen in a while, Oldaker takes to the stage in his bright blue and pink suit and accessories. The very loose story revolves around Dandyman waiting at the airport to board his flight and having to combat the boredom of plane delays and a very stubborn suitcase.

There is a simplicity in Dandyman that takes you back to being a child and that ability we once had to create so much out of nothing. Oldaker whips out two pages from a newspaper and ten bright pink straws and begins to dazzle us with all of his creations.

From paper babies, to flying birds of various sizes to up-close and personal facial features, Oldaker covers pretty much everything.

There is a touch of Dr. Brown’s mannerisms and character in Oldaker’s comedy but it is far less confronting and so allows the audience to be more at ease with what he is doing and to just enjoy it.

The disappointing thing about the show would have to be the length. At 35 minutes I did not feel like I had been on a full journey with the character. As much as I enjoyed the straw and paper moments and the bit of juggling, knowing what Oldaker is capable of I did not leave feeling fulfilled by what I had seen.

Oldaker informed us at the end of the show that this was the beginning of Dandyman and that it would eventually turn into a “totally different beast” than what we saw. There is great potential to develop this character and that is something to look forward to.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne

Season: Until 9 December | 9:00pm, Sun 8:00pm

Tickets: $23 Full | $15 Concession

Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

Circus, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Circus Oz – FROM THE GROUND UP

Nostalgia, comedy, spectacle and surprise: the perfect circus experience

By Kim Edwards

The Circus Oz Big Top at Birrarung Marr by the Yarra in the heart of Melbourne was simply athrill last night with a noisy excited eclectic crowd. It’s been a long time since I attended a circus, and as an adult my only experience had been vague disappointment at a rather dirty, tired, jaded show. This time and for this company however, the atmosphere was of joyous excitement and anticipation, and I honestly felt as revved up as the kids behind me who could scarcely sit still…

From the Ground Up did not disappoint: after plenty of theatre and performance art viewing in my career, I was rapturous to be genuinely amazed, surprised and delighted by this show. I loved the happy front-of-house folk, the great seating design to ensure there isn’t a bad seat in the house, the fantastic use of space and non-stop performance action, and the energised, hilarious, charming and extraordinarily multi-talented cast.

They tumbled and flipped and clowned and sang and swung and joked and juggled: I caught my breath as Mason West teetered precariously atop the Chinese pole, was mesmerised by Luke Taylor’s witty and dexterous video-game inspired block juggling, and laughed spontaneously at Flip Kammerer’s aerobic antics. It’s a wonderful idea to develop the show’s characters so thoroughly and make the audience look forward to the reappearance of their favourites, including Jeremy Davies’ slapstick magic acts and dainty Stevee Mills’ death-defying trapeze work. (N.B. I was surprised to find the program such good value, and the performer collector cards are an inspired idea!)

Special mention must go to the utterly spectacular band: Bec Matthews’ drumming was a highlight, MD Carl Polke was extraordinary on every instrument he picked up, and Ania Reynolds at the piano was both completely charismatic and remarkably skilled.

However, well-deserved crowd favourite was MC Ghenoa Gela, whose glorious stage presence and natural charm were simply palpable. The show’s loose theme of searching for the ultimate Australian song is both clumsy and unsuccessful: indeed, the violence and bitterness of some satirical lyrics seemed unpleasantly incongruous in what is otherwise such a family-oriented and jubilant celebration of our indigenous heritage, multiculturalism and shared artistic culture. However, the lovely ‘fruit salad’ metaphor that spoke so meaningfully and beautifully about cultural identity and difference (and related so poignantly to the real sense of family within this company, and the eclectic nature of the show itself) was superb, and with Ghenoa’s warmth and easy empathy, I hope it is this narrative theme that will be developed to cement this dynamic and diverse production.

With their ‘fruit salad’ audience also of families, elders, politicians, outrageously-costumed students and couples on dates, perhaps the greatest praise to offer From the Ground Up was the vigorous cheering and clapping, and the infectious, uncontrollable laughter of little kids throughout. It’s an earthy, jokey, raw, thrilling, touching, and triumphantly Australian show – and everything I thought circuses had forgotten how to be. Loved it!

Melbourne dates: June 20, 2012 to July 15, 2012

Click HERE for tickets and show information