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Majura Park
– Canberra Airport until 27th April
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
There’s
something completely irresistible about a circus, with its promise of
death-defying feats, corny clowns, cute animals, and freshly cooked pop-corn.
Michael Edgley’s Great Moscow Circus certainly lives up to that promise in
spades, plus some. Staged in an immaculately presented, state-of-the-art
big-top, resplendent with striped minarets and multi-coloured lights, this 2013
edition of the circus which has been touring the country for nearly 50 years, may
not be as all-new as promised, but each act is certainly a top class example of
its genre. What is new certainly are the pageant-type connecting scenes which
may be a bit dodgy as historical context, but certainly add to the overall
spectacle.
Some of the
most impressive acts are not your usual circus fare. There’s a remarkable
quick-change dance duo whose rapid costume changes leaves the audience gasping
in amazement, and Albert Roubaud’s “Statue Act” which is equally as intriguing. Then there’s the terrifying knife throwing
skills of Alfredo Silva and his brave, (some might say foolhardy) assistant
Anna, who allows Alfredo to throw knives at her while she is strapped to a
spinning wheel
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| Oxana Zinchenko |
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| Oxana Zinchenko |
Among the
more traditional acts, the gorgeous Oxana Zinchenko, suspended high above the
audience on spectacular red, white and blue silks, performs graceful heart-stopping
manoeuvres minus the security of a safety- net, and Olksandr and Natalia
Gerasymenko whose skilful, captivating routine is performed on a single trapeze.
Among the
larger acts, the eight-person Romashov double Russian swing act provides high-flying
thrills as its members perform daring mid-air stunts while propelled high above
the heads of the audience, and another spectacularly costumed troupe with the
rather prophetic name of “Group of Risk”, who perform amazing and amusing feats
bouncing and prancing above and around a huge piece of apparatus called a wall
trampoline.
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| The Romashov Troupe |
All the kids
loved the cute little well-fed ponies who performed prettily, particularly the
tiny one who managed to steal the limelight at every opportunity, and the
larger pony who sat in a lounge chair, before retiring in a real bed, and
especially the clowns, young and fresh, whose genuinely funny new routines
include a marvellous sequence when one of them manages to get himself trapped
inside a huge yellow balloon with hilarious results.
Too quickly
the night comes to a climax with the truly impressive Globe of Death, which we’ve
certainly seen before, but this year, five motorcyclists (count ‘em) roar around
inside a 4 mtr. metal sphere, which disconcertingly parts in the middle while
all this is happening.
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| The Globe of Death |
Michael
Edgley’s Great Moscow Circus has always been synonymous with all that’s best in
modern circus, and this latest edition definitely upholds that tradition.