The Circus Grand Illusion may not be Cirque De Soleil, but it still tours the world. With performances in Asia and Europe, its 3 pivotal performers, David, Vivian and Alex, find solace against the rigours of touring by becoming close friends; very, very close friends. In her own affectionate manner, Vivien hunts down the ambivalent Alex and they begin a relationship; while concealing from their best friend and homosexual compadre' David, the fact that this relationship has begun. What Vivian and Alex don't gamble on is that David also has the hots for Alex. He will not rest until Alex accepts wholeheartedly David's offer of love. As love tryst extraordinaire' set against the backdrop of life on the international touring circuit, Life's a Circus also examines the often considerable hiatus between individual aspiration and its consequent harsh actuality. Touring the world may appear to be every young performer's dream, but don't those lonely old hotel rooms all begin to look remarkably alike very quickly ? And so it is for Vivian, David and Alex. Only able to find genuine intimacy in each other's company, a considerable amount of fortitude will be required if our 3 circus performers are to survive life on the road, and their own voracious sexual appetites.
By necessity, life compressed into art is usually an oversimplified affair. During a one and a half hour theatrical production there is little time for examining the on-going and often unresolved aspects of a love tryst that gets completely out of hand. Given this, Life's a Circus in no way has pretensions toward understanding the more complicated aspects of human relationships. Mostly told in song, it is a slick and professional production with a whopping big heart. All the usual tricks are here: the set up of the love tryst; the concealing of information only to have it revealed unexpectedly, and with the resulting devastating consequences. Of course, each character comes away discovering more about each other, and therefore, more about themselves. And as a member of the audience your view about the relationship is being manipulated by the script in very specific ways. But in the end it doesn't matter. Everything is so on the money in this show. The song lyrics are very well written. The direction is snappy and spatially considered. Design wise, it looks great. And the performers offer up a sustained and effervescent commitment to their respective characters that is quite admirable. Of course, love is nowhere near as simple as Life's a Circus suggests. But appreciating the love that has gone into this show from all concerned was easy. And even though there is perhaps one song and therefore one ending too many, the audience applause throughout, and at the production's end, was thoroughly deserved. Life may not be as simple a circus as this show sometimes suggests. But even so, it was a very entertaining night in the theatre.
Life's a Circus
Composer & Lyricist: Anthony Costanzo
Writer: Peter Fitzpatrick
Director: Kris Stewart
Circus Director: Shannon McGurcan
Performers: Chelsea Plumley,
Cameron Macdonald, Glen Hogstrom
Annabel Carberry, Vaughan Curtis &
Stephen Williams
Choreography: Kate Priddle
Design: Christina Logan - Bell
Light: Lucy Birkinshaw
Stage Management: Caitlin Byrne
Photography: Sebastien Arnold
August 3 - 15, Theatreworks, Melb.
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