Sydney Reviews

You may have noticed a strange tent has pitched itself in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. This is the Famous Spiegeltent and it’s hosting a variety of comedy, music and cabaret acts. Taking the stage on this occasion were Circle of Rhythm, a percussion trio. Apart from the fact that they were actually in a straight line, they didn’t disappoint.

“Spiegel” means mirror. The Spiegel tents were travelling dance halls that moved around Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Famous Spiegeltent was built in Belgium in the 1920’s by master craftsman Oscar Mols Dom. It is now owned by Melbourne theatre producer David Bates who fell in love with it after seeing it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the mid eighties. The tent appears regularly in the Sydney and Adelaide festivals. It takes about 12 hours to build and is supervised by two Belgian specialists.

The interior of the tent is something quite unique. The counters for the box office and bars are made of beautiful wood which is tinted slightly red. Simple wooden floorboards create the intimacy of a European pub. The audience can either sit on chairs in front of the stage or grab one of the wooden booths around the sides.

Into the European pub cheer stepped Circle of Rhythm. Their mastery of their instruments was superb. They played a variety of styles and tempos but it was no secret that the fast, loud stuff was what they loved most, as did the audience, especially this reviewer. It was interesting to hear each person talk about how they had mastered their instruments.

Tabla Virtuoso Bobby Singh has hands that glide over his three drums with speed and ease. Learning Tabla is a lifelong journey for Bobby, who still travels to Bombay regularly to study under his Tabla master. He demonstrated how you must talk out the rhythm of the tabla using special one syllable words before playing it. He did this a number of times to demonstrate but each time you were lost after the first bar or so.

Greg Sheehan uses many different sizes of tambourine to make noises that you wouldn’t have thought possible with such an instrument. He also plays a Hang. This is a part wok, part UFO looking thing that he holds between his knees, tapping, slapping and caressing it with his hands. The Hang was developed in Sweeden in the year 2000.

Ben Walsh has an array of drums laid out in front of him. A big grin breaks out each time he ups the tempo and the smile quickly spreads around the audience. He also plays the Bansuri flute, reminding the audience that world percussion is about mellowing out too.

The Famous Spiegeltent will no doubt be back for the Sydney festival in January. I can tell you from personal experience and much frustration that it is one of the fastest selling festival shows. Take the opportunity to see one of the shows in the current season that runs till November 15. It’s worth it just to see inside the old girl. Sadly Circle of Rhythm is a one off at the Famous Spiegeltent but their gigs are well worth checking out if you get the opportunity.


Circle of Rhythm

Venue: The Famous Spiegeltent | Sydney Opera House Forecourt
Date/Time: Sunday 2 November at 1pm
Bookings: (02) 9250 7777 or online at sydneyoperahouse.com