Review: A Feast Of Movement, Music And Muscles, LIMBO UNHINGED Takes Cabaret Circus To The Next Level For Summer At The House @strutnfret @SydOperaHouse
By: Jade Kops Jan. 11, 2018
Wednesday 10 January 2018, 7pm, The Studio, Sydney Opera House
LIMBO UNHINGED is an awe inspiring evening of circus, music, mystery and comedy that is certain to delight. Strut & Fret, Australia's specialists in high calibre Cabaret Circus, bring their latest production to the Sydney Opera House to amuse and amaze with a deliciously dark and sassy spectacle.
LIMBO UNHINGED Director and Founding Director of Strut & Fret, Scott Maidment, has created another fabulous work that delivers a new intriguing experience. With a loose storyline of growth and evolution from the nappy clad wild man emerging from the door in the floor to find a surreal world of exotic gold and black clad characters, Maidment takes the audience on an amazing journey of breathtaking acrobatics, shocking sword swallowing and high flight flexibility with a liberal dose of fun and frivolity. Maidment has gathered a brilliant cast from around the world to present a production that takes skills often seen in circus work to a new level, from Nicholas Jelmoni and Charlotte O'Sullivan's gasp inducing hand to hand work, Remi Martin Lenz and Mikael Bres' captivating comic Chinese Pole performance and Heather Holliday's incredible Fire Breathing and Sword Swallowing.
A 'traditional' circus style thrust stage has been used to ensure the audience in Sydney Opera House's Studio are given a fabulous view of the performance that occurs across multiple levels, from the aisles of the main stage seating, up to the rafters of the black box space. Philip Gladwell's set ensures the focus is on the performers whilst reinforcing the darker vibe of the performance and the ongoing motive of doors opening allowing entry into the mysterious world. James Browne's costumes predominantly draw on the seduction of burlesque with corsets and feathers with a liberal dose of steampunk leather and buckles. With a generally black palette, the world is enigmatic but Browne injects moments of brightness, engaging black lights to illuminate fluorescent costumes and fans to flutter swathes of white skirts.
The performance is set to Sxip Shirey's (Composer and Music Direction) fabulously inventive score which sees Shirey and Mick Stuart (Music Directors) playing a variety of instruments from percussion to flute, harmonica and wood pipes. Shirey and Stuart are also often joined by members of the multi skilled cast on a collection of guitars, adding a delicious rock vibe to the performance. Shirey adds vocals, including rap amplified with a megaphone, along with additional voculs from Charolotte O'Sullivan and beatboxing from high above the audience on Sway poles by Mikael Bres.
The acts are woven together with Kevin Maher and Hilton Denis' energetic and creative choreography that engages the whole cast, reinforcing how multi-talented the ensemble are. Whilst some expressions of skill are stand alone pieces, others are mere tasters of the talents of Maidment's ensemble. Maidment has resisted the tradition of having a host or MC, allowing the acts to flow more smoothly whilst he also utilises the acts as the comic relief in place of the traditional circus 'clown' character. The work is seductive without being overtly sexual, celebrating the human body whilst still retaining a mystery which is a nice change from other works that opt to use flesh to shock and scandalise. This choice allows the work to be more accessible to a wider audience than other shows like Strut & Fret's previous BLANC DE BLANC.
Whether you are well acquainted with cabaret circus or you are wanting to have your first taste, LIMBO UNHINGED is a perfect night out. Even if you think you've seen circus acts before, see LIMBO UNHINGED's performers take the skills to a new height with passion and precision in an entertaining and engaging 90 minutes of marvelous music, movement and mystery.
Sydney:
The Studio: Sydney Opera House
4 January - 3 March 2018
Hobart:
Spiegeltent
8 March - 1 April 2018
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