Circus 1903

Circus 1903
Presented by Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and the Works Entertainment. Melbourne’s Regent Theatre. 3 – 14 January, 2017 - 3pm and 7pm every day

Circus 1903 is a marvelous holiday treat that is full of exceptional circus feats from exemplary artists from around the world.  It is certainly a great show to bring the whole family together, from little kids to Grannie and Grandpa, for some uplifting and engrossing entertainment.

The set (Todd Edward Ivins - Scenic Designer), atmosphere and archetypal vintage circus costuming (Angela Aaron) really invokes an era long past when Circuses were massive, in the round, tawdry, romantic with perhaps a slightly sordid edge, alarming, disquieting and captivating. 

Droll Ring Master/Master of Ceremonies Willy Whipsnade (David Williamson) opens the show with some cheeky fun and flying popcorn.  Throughout - he introduces acts, narrates a look at the sideshow and sets up some really wacky and fun interludes with children drawn from the crowd.  He is a great ‘touch stone’ for the Audience.

But it is the extraordinary acts that are, more-often-then-not, just breathtaking.

The show presented in the whimsically appropriate Regent Theatre comprises of a very full program, of two acts with a twenty-minute interval.

All artists excel and the sense of danger is very real.  Everything flows and works in synchronicity with the powerfully redolent recorded music from the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Evan Jolly – Composer and Musical Director).

There are too many acts to discuss all, but my personal favorites are probably, the ultimate high wire work by Los Lopez (The Lopez family from Guadalajara, Mexico), which appears to be marvelously risky and totally unforgettable.  I also loved Lucky Mood (Elena Gatilova from Crimea, Ukraine) and her romantic Aerial Ballet that displays enormous strength and disarming grace and is just mesmerizing.

The Flying Fins form Helsinki Finland are the first to perform.   And it is a heart stopping start watching three amazing acrobats catapult, flip and spot each other on a bouncing seesaw arrangement called a teeterboard.  Then The Sensational Sozonov from Russia displays the most amazing capacity to find balance high above the ground on Rola Bola.  Later the very beautiful Ethiopian Elastic Dislocationist (Senayet Assefa Amara) contorts her body in the most profoundly amazing and disquieting ways. 

You will have the opportunity to marvel at the juggling of clubs by the Great Gaston from France.  And watch The Perilous Perigos (Alfonso Lopez and Maria Jose Domenguez Pontigo – from Mexico) exhibit some hair-raising knife throwing and avoiding.  Then there is also the opportunity to be dazzled by the aerial feats of Les Incredibles (Anny Laplante and Andrei Kalesnikau form Canada).

For comic clown like relief Duo Flash (Yevgeniy Dashkivskyy and Yefrem Bitkine from Kiev, Ukraine) bring their humour to the edge of the stage.

And then there are the magical Elephant puppets, Queenie and her little one Peanut, that touch the heart with their innate capacity to capture the true rhythms and essence of the animal due to the extraordinary work of creators and puppeteers.

For the next week or so Melbourne audiences have the opportunity to be whisked back into the romantic world of the great Circuses.  Don’t miss this splendid opportunity before Circus 1903 takes off to tour the USA.

And, if you are wondering, the Souvenir Programme is full, rich and comprehensive totally worth taking home.

Suzanne Sandow

Credits

Neil Dorward – Director and Co-Creative Producer

Andrew Spencer – Co-Executive Producer

Evan Jolly – Composer and Musical Director

Angela Aaron – Costume Designer

Richard Peakman – Associate Director

Mervyn Millar – Puppetry Director and Puppet Co-Designer

Tracy Waller – Puppet Co-Designer

Todd Edward Ivins – Scenic Designer

Paul Smith – Lighting Designer

David Simpson – Technical Director – Production

Vincent Schonbrodt – Rigging Designer and Technical Director – Rigging and Scenic

Orchestral Recording – The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Nice Studios – Branding Conception and Art Direction

Puppeteers – Henry Maynard, Nyron Levy, Daniel Fanning, Luke Chadwick-Jones, Chris Milford and Jessica Spalis

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.