[2015160] Trash Test Dummies
Trash Test Dummies @ Garden of Unearthly Delights – Le Cascadeur
2:30pm, Sat 14 Mar 2015
I was relatively unexcited by the Trash Test Dummies last year; for all their creative wheelie-bin-based presentation, many of their tricks were familiar to a frequent circus-goer. Still, a gap in my Schedule allowed me an opportunity to check their show out again; had they added anything new to the show in the preceding twelve months?
Short answer: no. The show was more-or-less identical to that of 2014.
Having said that, I felt much more charitable about the show this time around. I really appreciated the pacing, as exemplified by the periodic insertion of the slow-motion scenes (set to the keys of Chariots of Fire and The Matrix). Not only do these add a comedic element (with a friendly nod to the parents in the audience), but they offer a chance for the Dummies to catch their breath without letting up on the action.
Other elements that caught my eye this time were the hat juggling sequence (set to New York, New York), and the fun bomb disposal routine; these two acts target the opposite ends of the audience’s age range, but not in a way that excludes the other. And that’s the nice thing about the Trash Test Dummies: whilst it’s not necessarily the best circus act going around at the Fringe, it’s certainly very inclusive and fun.
(160) Trash Test Dummies: Exuberant trash-themed clowning & acrobatics keeps sell-out kid-heavy crowd more-than-happy. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) March 14, 2015