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| Shannen Micheala - in Cirque Bon Bon |
Co-Produced
and Directed by Ash Jacks (McCready)
Co-Produced
and Choreographed by Julieann Nugent
Canberra
Theatre 22 – 24th August, 2024.
Performance
on 22nd August reviewed by BILL STEPHENS
One of the positives to come out of Covid has been the rise in popularity of physical
theatre cabaret fuelled by the return home of many of Australia’s best practitioners
following the forced closure of many of the world’s most famous cabaret and
circus venues.
One of those
practitioners is Ash Jacks (McCready) a former Assistant Creative Director for
Cirque Du Soleil, who ceased an opportunity to team up with her former dance
teacher, Julieann Nugent, to create Cirque
Bon Bon.
For its
first season in Canberra Jacks and Nugent have gathered an incredible cast of
world class physical theatre exponents and surrounded them with a beautiful
production in which dance and eye-pleasing stage imagery are pivotal.
Their flair
is immediately obvious with the spectacular light show that surrounds the four
excellent dancers, Holly Soper, Tiara McCool, Jayden Grogan and Hunter-Jai
Clist, who ensure the seamless flow of the production by introducing each act
with a cleverly choreographed mini-ballet or ceremonial procession.
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| Clarke McFarlane aka Marion Queen of the Circus |
The show is hosted by the genuinely funny Clark McFarlane aka Mario, Queen of the Circus. Mario has the audience in fits of laughter in seconds. It turns out he’s an obsessive fan of the band, Queen, and a dab hand at juggling which he hilariously demonstrates to the music of “Another One Bites the Dust”.
Each act in the
75 minute show, which is presented without interval, is world-class. Aerial
Hoop artist, Thomas Worrell, drew gasps with his seemingly impossible physical manoeuvres
on a suspended hoop.
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| Duo Synergy - Emma Goh and Scott Lazaravech - in Cirque Bon Bon |
Duo Synergy
(Emma Goh and Scott Lazaravech), had a similar reaction to their graceful but
dangerous Hand to Hand routine. Later they earned cheers with their stunning
confetti bomb, quick change routine while spinning madly on roller skates.
5th
generation circus performer, Cody Harrington, won the prestigious World
Juggling Federation Championship in Las Vegas in 2010. He’s also devilishly
handsome in his black glitter suit and not above flirting while performing his
complex juggling routine flawlessly.
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| Liam Dummer in Cirque Bon Bon |
Since graduating
from the National Institute of Circus Arts in 2018, Liam Dummer has established
himself internationally as an outstanding exponent of the aerial straps. His
dynamic mouth hanging routine left some in the audience checking their dentures.
Recognised
as one of the best Cyr Wheel artists of his generation, Canadian Alexandre Lane
made the impossible look easy, and his audience uneasy, as his huge Cyr wheel
appeared to sail very close to the edge of the Canberra Theatre stage.
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| Alexandre Lane in Cirque Bon Bon |
Contortion figured
prominently among the acts with three of the artists incorporating wildly
differing contortion skills into their routines. In addition to Thomas Worrell with
his suspended hoop, Ashleigh Roper thrilled with her ingenuity in assimilating her
contortionist skills into an extraordinary hula hoop routine like no other.
But it is
the amazing combination of contortion and foot dexterity that makes Shannen
Michaela’s act absolutely unique. To watch her bend her body back over her head
and gracefully fire an arrow into a target several metres away has to be seen
to be believed.
To attach
description labels to any of these acts does them a disservice because as performed
by each of these artists, all are unique and at the very peak of the skill
level.
However, besides
the brilliance of the acts, it is the extraordinary level of presentation surrounding them that sets Cirque Bon Bon on a level of its own
among similar shows of this genre where excellence and imaginative presentation
are a given. You need to see it for yourself.
Images supplied.
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW
