[2015030] Flying Dreams
Aaron Jessup @ Bakehouse Theatre – Main Stage
6:00pm, Mon 16 Feb 2015
Sure, it’s the first Monday night of the 2015 Fringe, but the crowd that turned up for the opening performance of Flying Dreams this evening was disappointingly small… the kind of size that makes my heart weep for performers. And Aaron Jessup has a very soft, almost quiet manner of addressing the audience… for some reason, I kept reading heart-breaking disappointment into those mannerisms.
On a stage accessorised with just a suitcase, Jessup presents an autobiographical tale of his pursuit of his passion: street performance and, in particular, juggling. There’s surprisingly little actual story here – youngster with dodgy family life makes a friend, they juggle a bit in San Francisco, there’s an inspiring leap-into-the-unknown as Jessup tries his hand as a pro street performer in Europe (battling his inherent shyness along the way), a comfortable return to San Francisco that spans 4 years, then a present day leap to Australia.
But whilst the plot may be thin (and bordering on twee), the performance is not. There’s plenty of juggling with some great set pieces – Jessup’s triples and quads are impressive within the confines of the Bakehouse, especially with the small audience huddled up close, and the drug-addled glow-in-the-dark sequence is bloody impressive.
It’s really hard to dislike anything about Flying Dreams – Aaron Jessup is a thoroughly affable host, and whilst the narrative aspects of the show may be a little thin, they’re at least delivered with conviction… and his craft is certainly well presented, with all the polish of his years of street performance. Having said that, it’s also hard to really rave about Flying Dreams, too… but it’s certainly engaging entertainment.
(30) Flying Dreams: Heartfelt mix of storytelling and juggling. Fluorescent juggling FTW. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) February 16, 2015