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Spiegelworld has been nominated for two awards at the 54th Annual Drama Desk Awards in New York City. Nominations were announced at the New York Friars Club yesterday morning. The creation of Australian theatrical impresario Ross Mollison, Spiegelworld’s two shows Absinthe and Desir were both nominated in the category of Unique Theatrical Experience.

Ross Mollison previously won the 2004-2005 Drama Desk Award in the same category for his long-running New York presentation of Slava’s Snowshow, which is set to return to Australia later this year for limited seasons in Melbourne and Perth. Last year, the award in this category went to the acclaimed Broadway production of The 39 Steps.

Mr Mollison said today, “The nomination of Absinthe and Desir are testament to the skill and imagination of Australia’s creative talents who are working on the world stage with the most exciting new circus creatives and performers from every corner of the planet. Director Wayne Harrison, choreographer John ‘Cha Cha’ O’Connell, music director Josh Abrahams and designer Josh Zangen worked with performers from Kiev, Moscow, Montreal, Paris and New York to deliver a unique entertainment experience with both these two shows we presented last year at Spiegelworld.”

Spiegelworld is the innovative live entertainment concept which has occupied Pier 17 at South Street Seaport in New York City for the past three summers, presenting a festival of shows and concerts in its heritage Belgian spiegeltent. The 400-seat “mirror” tent is a beautifully intimate performance venue of wooden panelling, mirrors, stained-glass windows and velvet-upholstered seating booths.

Absinthe is the adults-only circus variety show which was described by The New York Times as Cirque du Soleil channelled through The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Hosted by the outrageous Gazillionaire and his hapless assistant Penny, the 2008 production featured such heart-stopping acts as the skating Willers and conceptual burlesque artist Julie Atlas Muz, along with the masculine hand-balancing act Duo Sergio from Russia, Montreal’s sexy aerial trapeze act Duo Ssens, and the incredible foot-juggling Anastasini Brothers from Florida.

Absinthe was recently seen by Australian audiences for the first time when Spiegelworld was invited to present the live entertainment component of the 2009 Australian Open in Melbourne.

Also nominated, Desir was a brand new show for Spiegelworld in 2008 which set out to push the boundaries of theatrical circus story-telling in an intimate environment. The show incorporated incredible circus acts from around the world within a ‘La Ronde inspired’ circular story of passion and desire, based on the eccentric characters that frequented the clubs of early 20th century Paris. Josephine Baker became a sensational hula hoop act by Melbourne’s own Marawa, the famed Baroness Raymonde de Laroche, the world's first licensed female pilot, was featured in a jaw-dropping aerial pas de deux with another woman, and four French soldiers were portrayed through an incredible banquine act by Russian ensemble Evolution.

Legendary Paris jewellery house Boucheron created the stunning costume jewellery for the show which was directed by Wayne Harrison and choreographed by John ‘Cha Cha’ O’Connell of Moulin Rouge fame.

Ross Mollison said today, “On behalf of Spiegelworld and our mostly Australian creative team, I am incredibly honoured to have received the acknowledgement that these two Drama Desk Award nominations represent. Through our shows we have been striving to create something different in the very competitive US market. We believe that the new forms of live entertainment we are developing at Spiegelworld are what audiences are now seeking. It’s fast-paced, sexy, funny but most of all incredibly intimate. With our shows, it really is like stepping into another world.”

The Drama Desk Awards’ unique charter considers shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-off Broadway during the 2008-2009 season in the same competitive categories. The Awards will be announced at a Gala Ceremony at the Lincoln Centre in New York City on Sunday 17 May, hosted by Harvey Fierstein.