FESTIVAL: Cirkopolis

Cirkopolis

Cirque Éloize

10 October 2014

State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne

to 12 October

melbournefestival.com.au

Cirque Éloize are from Montreal – a city with an international circus school and is home to companies including Cirque du Soliel and 7 Doigts De La Main – and have performed in 440 cities in over 40 countries. They're met with joy, cheers and awards where ever they go and Cirkopolis lives up to the spectacle and how-can-they-do-that expected of this company.

Visually based on Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metrolpolis, it's set in a grey world where grey-coated people are as human as the machines around them. Its striking animated back wall (Robert Massicotte and Alexis Laurence) of factories and cog-driven machines is enhanced by a lighting design (Nicholas Descoteux) that lets performers and the animation become one.

And with choreographed perfection, physically astonishing performers, and a heart-warming premise that people will always find ways to be themselves and find colour in the grey, there's little to say that it's not wonderful. But this may be it's downfall.

I have a soft spot for this company because their Rain was the first review I wrote for AussieTheatre in 2006 (sorry Creative Director's program notes, it's not the first time they've been to Melbourne). Rain questioned the role of contemporary circus in theatres and answered its own questions by being emotionally compelling and technically wow.

Cirkopolis is outstanding circus that I thoroughly enjoyed, but it feels like a show that's made to tour and never ruffle a feather. It's traditional trick-based circus where the men are strong, the clown's a wuss and the women giggle in pretty dresses and are thrown about by the men in suits. It's not questioning or pushing circus art beyond the expected.

This was on AussieTheatre.com.

Traces

Traces
Les 7 Doigts De La Main / The 7 Fingers
Arts Projects Australia
19 August 2009
Comedy Theatre

Wow! High energy, high risk and guaranteed to leave you gasping, Traces is sure to leave its indelible mark on everyone who sees it.

Circus company Les 7 doigts de la main was formed in 2002 by seven graduates of Montreal’s National Circus School. In a city where internationally renowned companies like Cirque Éloize and Cirque du Soleil are based, this young company was determined to “create a circus of an entirely different flavour” and bring circus to a human scale.

Creators of contemporary circus look to express tricks uniquely through character and story or take them to a new level of skill. Traces has original routines that use contemporary dance, skateboards and basket balls, but stands apart by intimately presenting their performers, rather than characters.

This company is the second cast, but the show is designed to adapt, and through use of music, stories and direct audience interaction, it doesn’t take long to know Antoine, Antoine, Genevieve, Philip and Raphael like friends. Without the distraction of character, costume and effect to hide the performer’s human flaws - or giving them time off stage to recover - their circus skills are also more exposed.

And, for all it’s enticing narrative and unique street feel, Traces soars with its skill. From the addictive opening choreography to the final jaw-dropping Chinese hoop routine, there’s no hiding the astonishing, heart-stopping acrobatic strength and skill of these performers. Each are genuinely engaging personalities, but you can’t take your eyes off them when they show us their super-human side.

Like professional sport, physical risk is part of circus with margins of error measured in millimetres. Even with years of training and months of rehearsal, risk is an integral part of Traces and one of the reasons we enjoy watching it so much. If this cast of 20-somethings don’t inspire you to join the circus, they will at least inspire you to take some risks to perfect the skills and abilities that will leave your traces in your world.

This review originally appeared on AussieTheatre.com.

Rain

Rain
Cirque Éloize
3 August 2006
The Palms at Crown

A circus character tells us that rain is like happiness – it comes from nowhere and unexpectedly goes. Cirque Éloize’s Rain is an experience of unexpected beauty and joy. Themed with nostalgic childhood memories, Rain evokes the joy and transience of happiness, without the need to mourn or regret its loss.

Canadian troupe Cirque Éloize have a very impressive reputation. In Rain their reputation is reached and surpassed. This show is spectacular, intelligent, beautiful, mesmerising and joyous. It is a reminder of why the experience of theatre is so unique. I thought I was going to see a circus.

Spectacle and stunning performances aside, Rain openly explores the role of contemporary circus. A performer stands centre stage and asks if contemporary circus is just too highbrow – as she is being showered with large boots. A fellow cast member declares the inexplicable beauty of the moment, only to be told it’s just a technician throwing boots. A short satirical moment, a joke and a quick trick, but a valid question asked.

Director/writer Daniele Finzi Pasca answers the question with a production that seamlessly merges circus and theatre. Traditional tricks are fused with theatre technique and “magic”. The simple premise that we are watching a circus show in rehearsal creates the freedom to interact with the audience, whist maintaining the integrity of both circus and theatre. There is no narrative, we are engaged by the interaction of the characters as the theatre and reality blend for the audience and those on stage.

The design is perfectly framed by the proscenium arch. With colours in shades of grey, touches of sepia and bright splashes of vivid red, it is like watching a 1920s hand-coloured seaside postcard come to life. I never thought I would say that one of the best uses I’ve seen of the proscenium frame was by a circus

Images blend and merge with an almost filmic quality. The theatre allows traditional circus tricks to be presented in original and striking ways. Aerialists hang in mid air, without visible rigging. One of the most memorable images is a line of five black silks, with five performers clad in red, using the silks to create stunning lighting effects.

Humour is, of course, vital to any circus. Rain’s combination of pure slapstick with sophisticated irony is appealing without being condescending or alienating.

And then comes the rain. It really does rain. The unexpected delight of a rainstorm is magnified as water and bodies and lights and music blend to create moments of pure happy.

As Rain it is being presented at Melbourne’s own Las Vegas lounge at the Crown Casino, it is not priced for a family outing. Priced for the venue, this is circus for those who prefer a glass of wine and a comfortable couch to an ice cream and a drafty wooden bench. Fortunately those who saw it at the Brisbane Festival were able to experience the joy of Cirque Éloize for about half the price.

This review originally appeared on AussieTheatre.com.