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TWENTYSIXTEEN

The latest Circus Oz show has been regionally road-tested before opening in Melbourne; it’s tight, terrific and thrilling.
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The 2016 Circus Oz ensemble; photo by Rob Blackburn.

TWENTYSIXTEEN, the latest show from Circus Oz, opened in Melbourne this week after a short regional tour and a quick jaunt across the Pacific to the Australia Now festival in Brazil. While the familiar elements one expects from the company are present, such as a vigorous Chinese pole routine and the gleefully knock-about group trapeze act which bookend the second half of the show, there’s also a quiet confidence to the production that allows for a number of more reflective sequences. The result – whether in moments of contemplative gender-play, keenly felt barbs about white privilege, or exhilarating acrobatics – is tight, terrific and thrilling.

Green Room Award-winning Guest Show Director Anni Davey brings a lightness of touch that’s been absent from the company’s work in recent years and the ensemble is also terrific: their camaraderie and sense of connection is palpable.

Some of the show’s best moments display a gentleness that’s not always associated with circus, such as an exquisite pas de deux between acrobat April Dawson and unicyclist Kyle Raferty (which achieves the classic trick of making the risky look reasonable) and a moody but breathtaking clothes-swapping routine featuring Matt Wilson and April Dawson, which not only impresses physically – Dawson stands balanced on Wilson’s head throughout – but also because of the underlying message which can be read into the performance: gender transition is no laughing matter.

Other highlights include a tremendous aerial act set to a driving rock score, featuring Dawson, Sharon Gruenert and Spenser Inwood, which references and then quickly demolishes traditional notions of femininity; a subversive adagio by Gruenert and Inwood which sees them dressed as dolls and displaying remarkable agility, strength and balance – clearly, Circus Oz’s Strong Women Program, launched in 2013, is paying dividends; and a dream sequence featuring Wilson, a collection of carefully balanced red chairs, and an achingly beautiful mise-en-scène that ends with a literal bang.  

Dale Woodbridge-Brown glitters and delights as both quick-quipping MC and acrobat, and Flip Kammerer – a skilled and sharp performer – milks the laughs as levitator extraordinaire ‘Infinity Love Beads’.

A joyous group juggle demonstrates the tightness of the ensemble; later in the show Robbie Curtis gets a moment to shine in a compelling solo juggling routine. Elsewhere, acrobats leap, soar and dive with thrilling precision and energy.

The company’s commitment to gender equity and social justice is evident throughout  – a minute’s silence at the start of the show in memory of recent events in Orlando, Florida, as a rainbow shimmered across the backdrop of the stage, was deeply appreciated by this reviewer – but never felt heavy-handed, unlike some of the interstitial comedy, which felt a trifle laboured and repetitive. 

Laurel Frank’s costumes delight the eye, the vibrant live score is perfectly pitched to every scene, the simple set frames performances beautifully, and Paul Jackson’s lighting design is impeccable. In short, save for a few forced gags which will no doubt be tightened and trimmed as the season proceeds, TWENTYSIXTEEN is Circus Oz very near the top of their game.

Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5

TWENTYSIXTEEN
Directed by Anni Davey
Circus Oz Big Top, Birrarung Marr
15 June – 10 July
www.circusoz.com  

Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts