The Christmas Spectacular

The Christmas Spectacular

The Christmas Spectacular Rating

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The Christmas Spectacular tour has officially begun with its season debut at Crown’s Palms Theatre in Melbourne. The glitzy extravaganza features magic, circus art, showgirl acts, and performances of universally adored Christmas songs.

The shining star of the night was host and principal singer Prinnie Stevens. Gracing the stage after rising to fame on Season One of The Voice Australia, Stevens radiated confidence and charm all evening long. Highlights of her vocal showcase included Mariah Carey’s hits ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Joy to the World”.

Illusionist Michael Boyd performed spectacular shows of magic that proved mind-blowing for viewers of all ages. The former Australia’s Got Talent Finalist showcased brilliance as a magician and semi-host of the night with his captivating stage personality and interactive stunts.

Circus artist Aleisha Manion showcased gravity-defying stunts without fault. Her executions were polished, smooth, and perfectly timed between showcases of dance and song to maintain audience excitement.

Glamorous costuming took full effect and enhanced the performances of Showgirls and male dancers. The vast array of dance styles and stage-wear complimented the talent and sharp work of all performers.

The momentum of the show, however, was interrupted by the incorporation of several slow ballad songs, which halted the ‘extravaganza’ theme of the night. Similarly, the frequent use of backing tracks with automated singing flattened the polish of the evening, and a pre-recorded speech during Santa’s appearance gave the finale an awkward feel.

Overall, the debut of the 2024 Christmas Spectacular was a success, with the cast and crew delivering a dazzling evening as intended. The spectacle held the attention of even the youngest crowd members from start to finish by showcasing short bursts of entertainment. At 90 minutes long, it makes for a perfect snapshot of Christmas-themed excitement for all ages. The show is now on the road heading for Canberra, followed by stops in Brisbane and Adelaide before concluding in Sydney.

To book tickets to The Christmas Spectacular, please visit https://thechristmasspectacular.com.au/

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Christmas in Caulfield: Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland

Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland

Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland Rating

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Christmas has come early to Caulfield with Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland.

Walking into the Big Top, Christmas lights adorn the enclosure. There is a lot to see and do, and the first stop is the Frosty the Snowman jumping castle.

It’s then onto the Ball Pit before a ride on Rudolf’s train.

At 8:15 pm, we are invited into the Big Top for a circus show with Mrs. Claus and the Elves. We are delighted by acrobatics and aerial artists. Mrs. Claus narrates a Christmas story while we witness thrilling stunts.

Then it’s over to decorate elk antlers with festive stickers before visiting Mrs Clause’s Bakery to decorate gingerbread men’s cookies. It’s a simple yet fun activity for the whole family.

In a separate tent, we meet Santa and his Elves and pose for photos. Photo packages start at reasonable prices, and each visit comes with a surprise present from Santa.

 

Just outside Santa’s workshop is plaster statue painting, a fun activity for everyone. Paint a Santa, penguin or Christmas tree to take home and keep.

Every part of the experience is immersive, and Christmas has been magically brought to life under the Big Top with all your favourite Christmas characters.

The Christmas Wonderland is a fun experience for adults and children with plenty of activities. Whether it’s photo opportunities in Santa’s workshop with shiny baubles or roller skating, there is something for everyone.

Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland is returning to Caulfield Racecourse from November 29th to December 24th, 2024. It is advised for children 10 and under.

To book tickets to Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland, please visit https://www.melbourneschristmaswonderland.com.au/

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Scandalous Cabaret

Scandalous Cabaret

Scandalous Cabaret Rating

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Scandalous Cabaret is a fusion of Circus, Comedy and Cabaret all rolled into one travelling act in a tent. With a larger cast of twelve performers they advertise their show as a ‘hybrid’ adults only Circus, that delivers a sensually themed collection of acts.

The performance contained many old favourites from the Circus arts however with modern twists. We see the Unicycle, but also a miniature version, a three-wheeled version and a two-story off-centred version. Juggling is another classic, but performed with bounce, movement and up to 7 balls at once.

The absolute standout of the act was the talented Trapeze artist who also performed an aerial act with chains and neck spinning. She was mesmerising, with incredible strength and fluidity of movement. A great commendation is needed for the choreographer of the acts, as every performance had amazing flow of movement and contained many transitions.

The choreography knew when to contrast stillness and movement, and constantly used symmetry between the aerial artists. This was evident across the board, including a contortion routine that contained so much elasticity and smoothness of movement. Another standout was a fire performance containing skin transfers and fire eating. This act had great transitions and practical use of fire palms, bubbles and wands with excellent variation between these things.

 

The individual circus acts were to an incredibly high standard, where it seems that achieving a continuum would be within their grasp. The dance choreography had a very classic jazz style and made little interludes between acts, which was not unwelcome. There was mention of tracking ‘gossip’ surrounding relationships as a story-line for the performance, but this was quickly forgotten.

It would be nice to see this story-line develop more or play a more active role in the way things are staged. We did get a nice classic jazz number that was sung quite well, it would be nice to see more showcasing of vocal talents in their line-up in the future. The song choices and comedy included in the show feel a little crude and immature, not giving a high-class cabaret feel to the show. It would be good to see the staging and theming evolve to better showcase the fantastic talent contained within their cast.

Overall, Scandalous was not very much so, but a great showcase of fluid choreography and talent. It still proved an entertaining time with nice reinventions of older circus acts, and a large cast of professionals.

Scandalous Cabaret runs 15th November – 14th December.

To book tickets, please visit https://scandalous.com.au/

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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Delicious Aerialicious

Delicious by Aerialiscious Entertainment

Delicious by Aerialiscious Entertainment Rating

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3

Delicious is a scrumptious hybrid show mixing your favourite Burlesque and Circus acts, all themed around food and drink. The show as a whole imbues the audience with ecstatic energy, and satiates our hunger for entertainment.

It seamlessly blends comedy, acrobatics and eroticism in an extravaganza for any appetite. Our fantastic hosts, Chocolate Boxx and Clara Cupcakes bounce off each other brilliantly with quick witted remarks to introduce us to the world of ‘Delicious’ and its’ acts.

Initially we are met with Aline Chapet who performs a quirky routine with ‘Champagne’ bubbles. Her act brings the awe of a magician and the skill of a bartender to the stage, creating bubble art and playing with trapping and releasing smoke. Her act creates suspense and wonder as we wait for bubbles to pop, or not, as she skillfully crafts them. We were then rewarded with other unique acts such as Indie Berlin who performed a hilariously creative ‘Bread-lesque’ routine.

This combined the glitz and glam of burlesque with the comedic premise of feeding pigeons lots of bread; which was executed with elements of mime as well as expert choreography. Another creative act was Cello Bordello and her ‘hot-dog’ routine. This showcased a spunky burlesque number and a twist on sword swallowing except with a balloon. We were also delighted by some women’s Jelly Wrestling (Grace Law and Rachael Gibson); where you were still in the splash zone multiple rows back, causing eruptive laughter from the audience.

Our final unique act was Johnny Gash presenting a sweet ‘Candyman’ styled Drag King performance. Johnny Gash gave us the only vocal performance of the night, which was absolutely phenomenal and all but identical to Christina Augileira herself.

The circus acts included were incredible, with Andrea James Lui skillfully showcasing her amazing floorwork and Aerial Pole skills. With a quirky mad-hatter style, but incredible strength and fluidity she dazzled from the air. Elena Khaw graced us with an incredible show of contortion and flexibility, all whilst glazing herself in honey, keeping to the sweet theming.

Ambrose and Latonya brought some classic circus action with trapeze and Hula Hoop acts. Their Flow Art was smooth and polished, taking much coordination and strength. Finally, Tami Dawson presented hair suspension to close us out, which takes incredible, hair-raising skill.

With such a smorgasbord of talent, the audience was engaged and cheering from the start and this did not lull for the entire performance. The lighting and use of haze made all the performers look spectacular whether they be on the ground or in the air. The song choices were recognisable and energizing, bringing much enjoyment.

This show exudes confidence and really comes together beautifully, a perfect collection of talent, theming and taste. The cast and crew should be applauded for a delightful addition to the Melt Festival line-up.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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