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| Lucia Carbines - Miss A in a Bubble |
Empire.
Spiegelworld
Canberra Theatre Centre forecourt until 3rd
November
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
With its
cast of beautiful girls and muscular handsome men performing breathtaking
world-class feats of remarkable daring and audacity, “Empire” certainly
delivers in spades on its promise to smash the boundaries of circus, cabaret,
vaudeville and burlesque.
A sense of
danger, decadence and anticipation is quickly established as the audience enter
the smoky, mirrored interior of the Spiegletent to be greeted by cast members
dressed in exotic Andrew Strathie costumes, who pose, strut and flirt
outrageously.
Soon the
lights dim and a huge transparent bubble containing beautiful contortionist,
Lucia Carbines, descends from the lavishly draped ceiling. Carbines gracefully manoeuvres
her body into ouch-inducing positions among thousands of floating bubbles. Next
a couple perform a quick-change costume act which draws gasps from the audience,
and ends unexpectedly when someone
forgets to pack the next costume, resulting
in even bigger gasps.
Extraordinary
sexy, clever, funny acts follow each other in quick succession. Each act is
superbly staged, skilfully executed, and performed on a miniscule stage in the
centre of the audience, heightening the sense of danger and eroticism, enhanced
by musical soundscapes performed live by singer Casey Jamerson and guitarist
John Shannon. The show climaxes with mesmerising balancing act performed by Memet Bilgin - The 3 D Graffiti Guy - involving
fourteen branches and a feather, which has to be seen to be believed.
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| Memet Bilgin - The 3D Graffiti Guy |
Much of the
humour certainly pushes the boundaries of vulgarity, and one felt for the
hapless audience member coerced into participating at one stage, but if you’re
up for a superbly presented, sophisticated and clever adult show, don’t miss
“Empire”.
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| Gorilla Girls |