Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 23rd April, 2015
When traditional circuses came under criticism for the use and, sometimes, abuse of animals, there was a need to reinvent the whole genre.
Le Noir: The Dark Side of Cirque, is one of those new style circuses where only humans, who make their own choices about how they live their lives, perform on their own terms with full knowledge of the risks that they take, and there are certainly some risks taken in this production.
The Adelaide Festival Theatre stage had a raised circus ring in the centre, with a walkway around it, then a number of tables and chairs around that, and a block of traditional style seating either side behind those tables, giving the venue a circus feel by surrounding the performance area with the audience. Performers entered through a large door upstage and through the downstage sides from the wings. A couple of the acts, with equipment that required more height and space, were performed offstage, with the first few rows of eats in the auditorium removed to make room.
What really must be mentioned is the extremely impressive use of lighting including, at one point, thin beams from lights at ground level pointing up, and vice versa, giving the impression of the tent poles of a travelling circus, as well as a whole range of effects to create a range of atmospheres, and to work with the performers in places, various colours reflecting from highly polished surfaces on equipment, and sequined costumes. This added greatly to the production.
The ringmaster or, as they title him, master of ceremonies, Salvador Salangsang, is a tousled haired bundle of fun with an impish sense of humour who engages the audience right from the start, and has a good few comical tricks up his sleeve. There is audience involvement, but nothing to be worried about, just good humoured interaction that had those involved laughing as much, if not more, than the audience. Any more information would give the game away, so you will have to see the show to find out what he did that involved two players from a major local Australian Rules Football team.
The cast of this production come from all points of the globe, they have a diverse range of backgrounds, and many have performed with Cirque Du Soleil, while others are Olympic athletes. As well as the circus performers, there is also a troupe of dancers adding to the visual interest, with the performers joining them between acts to sashay around the ring and engage in provocative movements while equipment is changed over. One sight of this action and the skimpy costumes worn by everybody is enough to realise that the theme throughout this production is Burlesque, the darker side of Vaudeville.
The production is divided into three sections, each denoted by colour. Before the interval comes white, followed by red and, post interval, the entire second half is black, this section containing some of the most dangerous and, therefore, darkest of the performances, culminating in the Wheel of Death.
The white section featured Elena Gatilova on the Lira, a suspended hoop within and around which she created an acrobatic ballet, accenting her incredible flexibility, Anna Ostepenko hand balancing on small blocks, each on the top of a vertical rod, displaying both grace and superb balance and, lastly Dasha Shelest and Vadym Pankevych on suspended silk loops
Where white is the colour of purity and innocence, red, the colour of blood, signifies danger and passion. In this section the risks involved in each act become clearer. Skaters, Jeronimo Ernesto and Jessica Ritchie, whirl around on a small disc, twisting and spiralling at great speed, where one slip could see her fly out into the audience and him crash backwards with disastrous results. On the trapeze, Marie-Christine Fournier and Louis-David Simoneau sinuously entwine in an erotic and sensual performance. The two strong men, Valeri Tsvetkov and Yani Stoyanov, close the first half with feats of strength hoop within wh and balance.
Black is the colour of death, of the occult, of fear, and this is where the acts become progressively more breathtakingly scary. Alexandre Lane opens the set with the Cyr Wheel, a large metal hoop with, and within which, he spins and rotates. Denis Ignatov performs with a metal square, a three sided pyramid and, finally, a cube, reflecting the multiple colours from overhead lights in an array of whirling shapes and patterns. Yulia Lytvynchuk and Valerii Volynets engage in a beautiful Pas de Deux, again relying on strength and balance.
The Rolla Bolla is something that many young people have attempted, in its simplest form, with one cylinder beneath a short piece of plank, trying to stand and balance on it. Only people with the skill of Gediminas Pavlovicius can do it on top of a half a dozen cylinders, alternating one horizontal and one vertical and doing more than just balancing, as you must go to see.
The Aerial Cradle, with Emilie Fournier and Alexandre Lane, gets very risky. He stands atop the structure while she is swung down and up, then thrown into the air and caught by either her hands or ankles, after spinning and twisting in mid air, with absolutely no room for error. The Wheel of Death, with Carlos Macias and Angelo Rodriguez is the closing act. The device is two large loops, one at each end of a beam, pivoted at its centre. The two men each take a wheel and run, jump, float inside and outside the loops, even skipping with a rope and running blindfold. It is a big finish indeed.
These are some of the fittest and most skilled people that you are likely to meet, performing a range of difficult and dangerous acts with style and pizzazz within a Burlesque setting. What more could anybody want?
"Do not try this at home" is definitely a, appropriate warning for anybody attending this production. These acts are only for highly trained professionals at the peak of fitness. Watching them, thankfully, is for anybody, although there is an age rating of 12+. This is 21st Century circus so go and see what it is all about, while there is still time.
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