CIRCUS OZ - BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE
CIRCUS OZ - BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE, in the air-conditioned Big Top at The Entertainment Quarter, Sydney to 24 January 2016. Photography by Rob Blackburn, above: the ensemble; right: Spenser Inwood.
BY FELICITY AND JAMES DAYHEW
Roll up roll up the circus is in town. Circus Oz has come to Sydney again and it was awesome (this I know because I have seen them before and they are still great). They have acrobatics, trapeze, feats of strength, juggling, unicycles, comedy and a whole lot more.
It was easy to see that these people were fabulous athletes and very versatile. Nearly all of the troupe members performed in a number of different feats that ranged from flexibility, strength and stamina. You can see the countless hours of training that they have put in because they were able to pull off extremely difficult manoeuvres with what seemed like no effort at all.
The set was in a typical big top with a stage and metal rigging that helped the performers fly through the air. The interesting thing was being able to see the safety people in the background that kept all those doing high wire acts safe and sound. The lighting and music created the mood with the performers again showing their skills by playing instruments as well.
One of the things that we found really interesting was to have a female performer taking the lead on the acts of strength which included holding up her male co-stars and also as the catcher of the trapeze. This shows just how talented each member of the troupe is.
The costume design was unique as it seemed to be putting forward a message. It was not just the classic leotard and tights. It had a more modern feel. They managed a number of costume changes which all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.
Our favourite parts were the ring act where the whole stage was used and he seemed to be connected to the ring. The other top act was the trapeze because you felt that they were having fun and at the same time you could appreciate the skill needed to make it look this easy.
There was a lot of comedy throughout the show and also some acting where they incorporated a character into the routines, which made it entertaining and fun to watch. The audience also got involved so watch out you may just end up on stage yourself. We think that the best age range is 7 and up because some of the humour and also the drama could be a bit scary for the little ones. We really enjoyed the show and hope you can catch it through January.
