Circus Oz: Laughing at Gravity

Sydney Morning Herald, May 28, 2007
by Lenny Ann Low

What goes up must come down as some serious fun.

Historically, the Australian way has been to thumb the nose at being too serious or too conformist about life.

But these are increasingly serious times, so it's just right that Circus Oz blasts into our august opera house to laugh at gravity, both in its physical and philosophical forms.

In its new show, Laughing at Gravity, the focus is on the body, its frailties, strengths and diversity. Circus Oz has long been adept at awesome physical feats but this time the raw finesse of its acrobatic skill comes to the fore.

Whether wrapped in the frank unruliness of a bunch of school children larking about on the trapeze or the fearless showmanship of the singing stuntman Matt Wilson the cast soars, swings, climbs, flips and balances dazzlingly.

As ring mistress, Christa Hughes prowls the proscenium in slinky PVC costumes, towering stiletto boots and her down-to-earth brand of lippy, self-assured glamour. She leads two big songs, both with an edgy political bent, but it is her voice that is the standout.

Mel Fyfe switches from Kimmy, the schoolgirl terror wielding her power and bum at fellow cast members and going for a tongue pash on the trapeze, to her strong-woman self, having concrete blocks smashed on her stomach.

The Circus Oz band, led by John O'Hagan, swings from luscious to strident to triumphant tones via the vibrant skills of the drummer, Julia Watt, O'Hagan on double bass and other instruments and Svetlana Bunic on piano accordion with attached sound modulator.

Bunic steps out to take on bike whiz Scott Hone in a mock bullfight between accordion player and Hone's BMX bogan. O'Hagan's appearance as conductor of a dishevelled orchestra - made up of the entire cast - ends with him flying through the air chased by his double bass.

Michael Ling as the mature, slipper-wearing, cane-wielding Bert scales a pole to precarious heights, his head nearly brushing the Opera Theatre's ceiling. Sosina Wogayehu displays her remarkable ball-juggling skills and in Laughing at Gravity Circus Oz celebrates what it is to be human in chaotic times. This show hurtles melodically about the ears, flies satirically through the mind and wows our perceptions of what the human body is limited to.