Cirque Alice – An Acrobatic Adventure in Wonderland
It’s the theatricality that sets productions like Cirque de Soleil apart from most acrobatic shows, even those that raise the “oo-ah” and “gasp” value by adding a bit of burlesque. Tim Lawson and Simon Painter know how important that theatricality it. It’s what made their productions like Le Grand Cirque and The Illusionists so popular in Sydney and around the world.
Now they bring their new show, Cirque Alice, not just to Sydney but to Western Sydney in the stunning Coliseum Theatre at West HQ, Rooty Hill. What an opportunity for those of us that live more than an hour away from the Opera House, the tolls and expensive parking! With floors of free parking, a smorgasbord of food outlets and accommodation at the Novotel next door, West HQ is attracting audiences from the mountains, the southwest and the central Coast to this fast, colourful, spell-binding production.
Lawson, Painter and fellow producer Sam Klinger have taken advantage of the wide stage, the spacious dressing rooms and the 2000-seat auditorium to bring this exciting production a little closer to the ‘heart’ of Sydney – and the people are loving it. Families, groups of friends, acrobat fanatics and thrill seekers are gasping with wonder at the athletic prowess, strength and concentration of the performers – and Angela Aaron’s amazing costumes.
The production uses Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass to under-pin the production – but unless patrons have the a copy of the program they would not realise who most of the performers represent, that is except for Alice herself … and the Mad Hatter, March Hare and the time-conscious White Rabbit, who, underneath his fur and flounces is UK violinist, Darius Thompson.
Alice, played by 19-year-old soprano Layla Schillert from Newcastle, follows the White Rabbit with a beautifully sung introduction, the lyrics of which are unfortunately lost under the loud recorded accompaniment and the Rabbit’s violin. That’s a pity because it may have given an insight into the other characters and the story. So, make sure you, and the kids, know the story before Alice goes down the rabbit hole.
As Alice ‘disappears” dramatically in a swirl of flimsy fabric, she is strangely farewelled by the Cirque dancers, in a flurry of hurrying feet and suitcases, who then watch as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the characters who, the programs explains, are known for “their nonsensical rhymes and endless antics” appear. Here they become the IT Boys, Ethiopian acrobats Tamrata Kua and Tomas Teka Alemu, whose love of their craft shines in their happy faces and their incredible timing, trust and togetherness as they tumble their way into Wonderland.
The strange, worldly wise caterpillar of Alice’s story is depicted by the Contortion Quartet,
Enkhzaya Battogoo, Baigalmaa Chuluun, Doljinsuren and Dolgorsuren Ganbold, who in their caterpillar-inspired leotards, twist and turn around each other in carefully balanced patterns of supple limbs and swirling shapes. The garden of exotic “live” flowers that surround them are portrayed by dancers Lachlan Greenland, Lexi Calis, Charles Danilczak, Gabriel Herrera and Kalee Smith.
Shimmering in the garden is a Snap Dragonfly, its metallic wings and bright colours worn by aerial pole artiste Daniel Schwarz as he uses his flying pole to take him high above and wide around the bright, summer flowers below him.
The spell of quiet concentration is broken Victor Hladchenko, a multi-talented Ukrainian performer who, in the mischievous tradition of the March Hare, whirls his way around the stage on a huge hoop, his long rabbit ears protruding from his hat and his coat tails flying. As he disappears into the darkness of the rabbit hole, his friend the Mad Hatter brings a different kind of magic to the story.
Paul Dabek, internationally known as the host of The Illusionists, is a magician who mixes his magic with comedy and “old world vaudeville charm”. In Cirque Alice he becomes The Mad Hatter, bewitching the audience with his quick, cheeky wit whilst utterly bemusing them with a very skilful, drawn-out card trick that surpasses less ambitious legerdemain. Dabek is the quintessence of the all-round entertainer who reaches the kid in all of us, as well the kids in the audience!
The sleepy Dormouse at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is not sleepy in this iteration! Here he is Estuart Mena Gonzales, mesmerising the audience as he adds eight boards on top of the rola bola which he keeps amazingly steady below him.
Wonderland’s juggler, Brandon Raffo, becomes an entertaining entre act, skilfully juggling handfuls of batons or balls to take Alice to the domain of the Queen of Hearts where Munguntsatsrag Naranbaatar balances on three poles topped by blocks of wood which she moves slowly as she weaves and balances above them. Her deck-of-card palace guards are the dancers in Angela Aaron’s amazing card inspired costumes and her croquet court is represented by the flamingos, elegant aerialists Emeline Goavec and Yoann Benhamou.
From the chess board in Through the Looking-Glass come the White King and Queen, rollerskaters Daniel Monni and Marina Sabetta – and the dancers as cute black or white pawns and castles.
One of the most awe-inspiring acts is The White and Red Knights – the Ramadhani Brothers, Fahili Rashidi and Ibbrahim Mwaimise and their head-to-head balancing act which is a “breathtaking test of skill, danger and determination”.
Cirque Alice is high flying, professional family entertainment, incorporating the thrills of acrobatics with the magic theatre – lights, music, laughter, colourful costumes – and finely organised theatrical timing and control.
Carol Wimmer
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