Circa’s Peepshow

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https://circa.org.au/show/peepshow/

Date Reviewed: 20/04/2022

Presented by Circa, GWB Entertainment and Trafalgar Entertainment

Perhaps the most accomplished of the sixteen shows produced by Brisbane-based contemporary circus Circa since it was established in 2004, Circa’s Peepshow has been globally acclaimed as a triumph, having toured extensively domestically and internationally following its World Premiere in Lismore back in 2018. Its journey has included celebrated seasons at the Sydney Opera House, London and a lengthy showcase in Berlin.

Circa has performed in over 40 countries to over 1.5 million people at numerous different theatres and festivals. Its visionary Artistic Director, Yaron Lifschitz, has been intrinsically linked to the development of modern circus and he has worked closely with many other key organisations such as NIDA, Australian Theatre for Young People and the Australian Museum. In partnership, Circa’s Associate Director Libby McDonnell brings a wealth of experience to the production and as Head of Design makes an invaluable contribution to the show’s choreography and costume design.

Circa’s Peepshow is performed by seven extraordinary artists - three male, four female - all highly experienced in their craft and each multi-skilled across different facets of circus performance.

The current ensemble is made up of Jon Bonaventura, Keaton Hentoff-Killian, Gerramy Marsden, Lachlan Sukroo, Holly-Rose Boyer, Rhiannon Cave Walker and Alice Muntz. They work harmoniously together and the performances are slick and very well-honed.

The show itself is a dichotomy – at times graceful and balletic, with performers displaying extraordinary feats of balance and poise, at other times a raw celebration of extreme physicality and flexibility. It is beautiful and majestic but also tough and sweaty. The best of cabaret and carnival.

Circa’s Peepshow delights in mixing genres. It creates a new hybrid artform comprised of acrobats, trapeze and aerialists, strongmen, contortionists, jugglers, contemporary dancers, performance and burlesque artists. It’s a veritable Sideshow Alley to delight viewers; one which progressively gets darker and perhaps more sinister as the show develops.

In a series of solos, duets and group performances covering the gamut of modern circus skills, it teases the audience with flesh and sexual innuendo like the best burlesque show yet it’s not long before our initial voyeurism (both the male and female gaze) quickly moves to a fuller appreciation for body and movement. Like a peepshow, it is alluring and excites us but is neither steamy nor salacious. Performances are playful, spirited and exuberant. It is joyful, energetic and intermittently comedic.

Circa’s Peepshow is quite dreamlike and delves into our imagination. It is poetic and explores the ‘… other side of the mirror’. It mesmerises and reflects back questions about our dreams and interpretations of appearance vs reality.

In terms of structure, the production is compartmentalised and its flow often seemingly broken. Performances are snippets of circus performance – the first half more precise and recognisable, the second half after interval somewhat darker and dangerous.

The staging is minimalist; attention is instead focused on the action. A shimmering, tassled curtain across the back of the stage allows performers to emerge and disappear whenever needed and is also artfully used for moments of burlesque striptease. Above, a neon sign ‘Peepshow’ changes colour and at certain times several letters are blacked out. Smoke machines are occasionally used to instil an other-worldly ambience.

Equally, lighting is kept simple. Largely used to focus the audience’s attention on specific performers it later changes to create a different mood and a sense of darkness. Follow spots become erratic and unsettling.

Costume design is carefully crafted. During the first half of the show, performers appear largely in white, ruffle-collared dinner shirts and black sequined shorts with occasional references to traditional European cabaret and burlesque through incorporation of red, long-sleeve evening gloves. Later, artists wear skin-coloured leotards, celebrating the human form. After interval, the unified look becomes disjointed; individual performers wear different mismatched colours. The choices add to the unsettled, discordant mood.

Of particular note, is the clever and eclectic choice of accompanying music, carefully curated by Yaron Lifschitz. The selection of tracks includes references to Contemporary (Shakespears Sister, Caetono Velosa, The Eden House), Classical (Prokofiev), Eastern European/Gypsy (Lajko Felix), Latin (Banjamin Clementine), Las Vegas Showroom (Louis Prima) and traditional Burlesque/Cabaret (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Amanda Lear). A recurring theme which underline the ethereal qualities of the show is use of the Eurythmics ‘Sweet Dreams’, versions of which are performed by The Soul Rebels and a haunting closing harmony by Scala and Kolacny Brothers.

At other times a strong repetitive bass heartbeat resonates through the theatre, slightly but intentionally unsettling the viewer. This is a production that has carefully considered every element and combined them in such a way that it becomes much more than the sum of its parts.

Ultimately, Circa’s Peepshow is 100-minutes of compelling performances that will both delight and challenge viewers.

Whilst on the surface it might appear that the show loosely cobbles together disparate circus acts, there is unquestionably a strong, inherent logic that artfully fuses the various elements together. Like a carnival sideshow alley, Circa’s Peepshow offers a selection of creative tidbits, showcasing the possibilities of human movement. It explores the ‘dark recesses of the mind’ and reflects back different perspectives on life - like a hall of mirrors.

The show is a romantic, loving homage to burlesque and cabaret whilst also poking fun at them. It’s familiar yet novel and experiential rather than linear; dreamlike and obsessive. Lifschitz plays with all these contrasts and our expectations. It makes improbable human movement seem possible.

This is a show that will appeal to a broad audience and unquestionably demonstrates the best of contemporary circus and our Australia’s performers. It cleverly blurs the distinction between acrobatics, dance and theatre.

Don’t miss it.

Reviewed By  David Hislop