Photos - Prudence UptonHave you ever wanted to run away to the circus?
This is a question asked early on by our deliciously devilish host iOTA, and even if the answer for you may be “no”, it lies deep at the heart of this fun romp. While the big top this is not – don’t go in expecting a flying trapeze or a dozen clowns piling out of a Volkswagon – what we have instead is a far more hybridised and intimate concoction. Take a good measure of cabaret, mix in equal parts circus with a dash of vaudeville, a sprig of freakshow, a hint of burlesque and a generous teaspoon of alternative rock concert. Cook for two well-filled acts and don’t be concerned if there’s a bit of mess, it’s still a delicious recipe.
As a chamber orchestra is to a full symphony, you might say that compared to a three-ring extravaganza this is “chamber circus”. But what the show may lack in bold spectacle it more than makes up for in artistry, style and impressive feats rendered all the more so by the immediacy of the small performance space. The Famous Spiegeltent is probably the most perfect venue imaginable for this kind of show, its own gypsyish existence and an interior festooned with velvet and mirrors couldn’t have been purpose-built any better to dovetail with the performers’ aesthetic. Mashing up old-world circus iconography with more than a hint of goth/emo/punk and old Berlin cabaret decadence, the production invites us into a little bubble of a world where acrobats and sideshow freaks seem to fit in perfectly with the alternately camp and tragic songs belted out by iOTA.
Indeed, while there is certainly an ensemble at work here, it seems very much iOTA’s show, his leering, raucous host character seeming equal parts Frank N Furter and the emcee from Cabaret (roles he both has and should play, respectively) and exuding a very dominant presence. It is here that much of the show’s thematic subtext of masks, mirrors and escaping into fantasy are presented, and it works well if perhaps not always altogether cohesively. As co-creator of the production with director Craig Ilott, iOTA’s original songs are interwoven between the other performances in this circus, in some cases even serving as highly effective accompaniment to the foreground action. Yet they are generally quite arresting in and of themselves (it is no surprise that CD recordings are for sale at the door), ranging from the hilariously vaudevillian to angst-ridden ballads and even briefly straying into a burst of aggressive gothy rock. “Fuck me into my happy place” may have been a step too far outside the circus framework for some, but let it never be said that variety isn’t the spice of, well, Variety Entertainment.
And what a variety it is. We are treated to some smashing acrobatics (of the balance and lifting type more than the high-flying kind given the venue) that looked wince-inducingly painful and was at such close range as to have the front row in perpetual apoplexy. A clowning tap-dancer’s act transitions from light relief to some quite affectingly emotive dance work, and in a similar manner the comedic reveal of a bearded lady leads into a scorching solo. These powerful tonal shifts were less evident in the hilarious “muscle beach” sketch by the acrobats, and similarly so with the magic acts.
Although a lot of the magician’s sleight-of-hand tricks are perhaps standard stuff you may have seen before on TV, to actually watch these seamlessly-executed prestidigitations at such close range is an absolute delight, not to mention utterly mind-boggling. You will find yourself torn between desperately wanting to know how he could possibly have achieved these impossible feats just witnessed, while at the same time not actually wanting to spoil the magic.
Something similar could be said for the show at large, with its great band, bravura performers and captivating host: you could perhaps criticise some of the more breakneck shifts in mood or query the incessant rabbit imagery for example, but this kind of nitpicking simply sucks the fun out of what should be an extremely enjoyable experience.
Like some kind of Tim Burtonesque fever dream with a touch more wangst and a smidge less whimsy, Smoke & Mirrors is rollicking, intimate circus-cabaret that will charm your long stripy stockings right off and leave you gagging for more.
Sydney Festival 2011
Smoke & Mirrors
Created by Craig Ilott and iOTA
Director Craig Ilott
Venue: The Famous Spiegeltent, Hyde Park
Previews: January 6, 7 at 7.30pm | January 9 at 9.30pm
Dates: January 11-February 6, 2011
Times: Tue-Thu and Sun at 9.30pm | Fri-Sat at 7.30pm and 9.30pm
Duration: 1hr 50min, incl. interval
Tickets: $65/$60
Bookings: www.sydneyfestival.org.au