Acrobat
Strut & Fret Production House @ The Lunar Tent
10:30pm, Thu 21 Feb 2002
Score: 10
Short Review: Stunning
First things first: see this show.
I’m serious: you may be hanging around the Garden of Unearthly Delights at the end of Rundle Street, soaking up the atmos around 10:30pm one night, and you’ll hear a cacophony of mutated circus tunes. You’ll look up, and there’s a solo trapeze act, dazzling as only a trapeze act can. You’ll watch for 5 minutes, then the act will stop, with the artiste and troupe disappearing into the Lunar Tent.
This is The Lure. You might think, “I’ve seen it all; why follow them into the tent? They’ll only suck $18 out of me for more of the same.” No – accept The Lure. Follow them into the tent. Give forth your dollars gladly.
Once inside, you’ll be subjected to one of the highest-energy acts I’ve ever seen. Backed by a wall of samples and distorted guitar, the five Acrobats will amaze with jumping, tumbling, swinging – all the stuff you’d expect from a performance called “Acrobat” – and even a little bit of pantomime thrown in.
While the whole hour is astoundingly good entertainment, three “acts” stand out. The two female members of the troupe sharing the trapeze were staggering. The guy who looks like a cross between Matt Johnson and my brother was unbelievable on the free rope (allowing himself to “roll down” from the roof). And the “living
on a tightrope” act was pure physical comedy.
Have I mentioned that you should see this show?
Perhaps you haven’t got the message yet, so let me put another perspective on it. Lots of people loved Cirque du Soleil – I’m not one of them. This act, on the other hand, left me breathless. Cirque failed to thrill because of the clinical nature of it – the performers were all bright and shiny and… perfect. “Acrobat” is dirty, grimy, and in your face – and the occcasional stumble reminds you that it is real. Yep, I’ve just compared a group from NSW to Cirque du Soleil – and the locals win, hands down. In the words of Bill Hicks, “That’s a judgement call, and I’m making it”.
See this show. This is the surest bet you’ll ever get from me. See this show.