Kaboom! Do you like ice cream? What about your air conditioning? I’ll bet you especially enjoy not having Polio, don’t you?
If you think science is a boring subject best left to school kids, you might be surprised to know that all the things named above were created by, you guessed it, science! Just ask Magnus Danger Magnus (yes, it’s his real name!).
Magnus is a supercharged, multi-award-winning, high-energy entertainer with, as he tells you himself, absolutely no qualifications whatsoever. We spent a delightful Saturday afternoon in his company as he shared his gleefully explosive science with happy, lively crowds of kids and parents at the Comedy Festival.
With his ‘safety third’ approach to experimentation (first comes flammability, second, wow factor), Magnus rampages across the stage excitedly, armed with the curiosity and energy of a toddler and some seriously dangerous chemicals. He fascinates, educates, and draws you in with his absolute love of science and his absolute disregard for his own safety.
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The audience revelled in Vortex Cannon smoke rings and liquid nitrogen experiments that delighted and wowed as they exploded (safely), boiled and turned into foaming colourful messes all over the auditorium. He drew young helpers from a very eager crowd. Everyone, parents included, joined in all the yelling, whooping, and clapping throughout, especially when he sang the periodic table as he turned water into fire all over his hands. Don’t try this at home, kids!
Magnus’s infectious enthusiasm for science makes him the perfect example of someone who believes in teaching things in a curiosity-led, hands-on, fun way that will create a whole new generation of science-loving people.
Kaboom is a show that is not to be missed, especially if you have curious kids.
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.
Last week, Cirque du Soleil opened their magnificent show LUZIA in the heart of the Flemington Racecourse.
The sight of the big top triggered memories of Cirque du Soleil’s previous visit to Australia during the pandemic. I vividly recall attending the opening night of KURIOS, only to discover its abrupt closure the following day. The global impact on Cirque du Soleil’s existence was undeniable. It is truly exhilarating to witness their triumphant return after such adversity.
Stepping into the world of LUZIA under the big top is like entering a whole new dimension of wonder and amazement. As the show begins, time seems to stand still with the interplay of light and rain, awakening a profound sense of spirituality. This ability to reproduce reality through a dream-like surrealism is a quality that Cirque du Soleil have mastered in numerous productions worldwide.
LUZIA combines elements of the rich Mexican culture, mythology, and nature with its vibrant colours and beautiful imagery. The main character is the Traveller who falls from the sky and gently comes down with the help of a little umbrella into a land of blooming marigolds, and majestic birds. When he turns a giant metal key, he opens a world where we travel through his imagination.
Along the way, we encounter a running woman who spreads her beautifully pigmented butterfly wings, representing the migratory journey of the monarch butterfly from southern Canada to central Mexico. Then, we meet a group of agile hummingbird acrobats, that leap through hoops. The traveller steps through a smoky dance hall, a tribute to the golden age of Mexican cinema, where three porters manoeuvre a female acrobat into a human skipping rope.
Each act in LUZIA is like its own separate show all wrapped up into one unforgettable experience. We travel through the Agave plants with dream like women dancing within giant hula hoops. Then, we watch the superior artistry of players manipulating a football, a passionate sport for the Mexican people. In a separate scene, the Peyote, known for its hallucinatory properties and grown in Mexico, is honoured in a bizarre pole dance of strange creatures.
Luzia is a show that defies expectations at every turn. One moment, you witness a demigod of rain gracefully leaping and soaring through the air, emerging from a circular pool with breathtaking aerial acrobatics. The water splashes around him as he reaches great heights, leaving an indelible impression on the audience. Then, a juggler takes the stage, skilfully manipulating numerous pins with incredible speed. The pins seem to blur into a metallic mass, creating a mesmerising visual spectacle.
Following this, a performer on a colossal swing captivates the audience by propelling himself to unimaginable heights. The swing eventually tips over, leaving the spectators in awe of the daring feat. But the surprises don’t end there. Acrobats astound with their free-falls from swing to swing, executing complex manoeuvres with apparent ease. Their agility and grace make it seem as if they are weightless. We see a contortionist, whose movements resemble that of a hypnotic snake. With seemingly impossible flexibility, his body contorts in unimaginable ways.
LUZIA’s magic is made possible through complex technical stage designs and the incredible creativity behind them. For instance, since rain is a major theme in the show, they’ve set up a water system with a rain curtain and a pool on the stage. This allows water to be used in various ways throughout the performance. The team can create the illusion of rain, and even form intricate water shapes and symbols using 178 individually controlled valves. Water is also incorporated in a funny scene where the thirsty traveller tries to catch the unpredictable rain.
Other unforgettable props include a massive disk that represents the sun, moon, and the Aztec calendar. It is suspended at the heart of the stage, weighing 2,000kg with the ability to rotate 360 degrees. Another elaborate prop is the Papel Picado, or punched paper, a cylindrical curtain that looks like an oversized lantern with cut-out characters like horses, flowers, and hummingbirds.
Speed is an important theme of LUZIA, like the Tarahumaras, a north-western native tribe known for their superior strength and agility. For superior speed, some acts are supported by giant wireless treadmills that can move in different directions and are used as launch pads to allow for swift tumbling and leaping by the acrobats.
Animals hold a special place in Mexican culture, art, and spiritual beliefs. They are featured through most of the acts whether through costumes where the acrobats morph into animals or through life-size puppets, such as the jaguar that interacts with the artist on stage.
Costumes are designed thoughtfully keeping specific colours and textures carefully crafted for each scene. Some consist of bright colours, and some are designed to represent part animal and part human like the man with the head of an armadillo, or a woman wrapped in an iguana shawl with one arm the head and the other a tail.
The audience in Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia is taken on an incredible musical journey. It’s like the soul of the show. You can feel the rhythmic beats of cumbia and flamenco guitar, creating a pulsating energy. The percussion instruments are like a constant heartbeat. The tubas and trumpets add a vibrant, brassy sound that fills the air. There is a female singer whose voice is hauntingly beautiful, and even though I didn’t understand the words she was singing in Spanish, I could feel the Latin vibe and the raw emotions that transcends language.
Today I met with Terrance, he is one of the magical hummingbirds in the performance. I asked him what makes LUZIA and Cirque shows so different from any other circus. He said: “Everything about our show is extravagant, it is a very big production, with big make-up, loud costumes, and extreme physical agility”. He added: “It is like going to watch a live version of an animation movie and making the impossible possible right in front of you.” He added “For some people, it might even be life changing”.
Luzia is a true fairy-tale brought to life, where the extraordinary becomes the norm. Each act leaves an unforgettable mark.
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.
Don’t be fooled by this deliciously named one-act play “Necrophilia” by Aussie writer Lincoln Vickery. This tightly written dark comedy, directed by Ben Ashby, is making a return season at the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival after winning Melbourne Fringe Judges Pick in October 2023. Whilst humour is derived from the awkwardly taboo subject matter, this play has a sensitive side. There are no visually disturbing scenes and the play treats all characters with respect as humans trying to cope with their bizarre situations.
The play opens in a morgue, with a sheet-covered cadaver on a trolley. The Motley Bauhaus Theatrette’s small stage and bare bricks perfectly conveyed the feeling of being in a cold basement mortuary. Darren (Declan Clifford) and Mark (Gene Efron) are in mid-conversation whilst preparing a body for viewing. The contrast between the usually unseen business of “making dead bodies look hot as shit” and the desensitised workers bickering about a “victimless crime”, especially when we realise that Darren has just confessed to feeling a rush when defecating in a certain street near his house under cover of darkness. He cleans it all up immediately, he explains, so, whilst technically a crime, no one gets hurt. He also explains the origin of the fetish – an accidental experience accompanied by unexplained pleasure that then becomes a fascination and a repeated behaviour that reinforces the rush.
These themes of fetishism and its origins and whether or not they affect others are explored within this play, and the quality of the writing really shines – there is no dull moment and lots of laughs. If you have come for the comedy, you won’t be disappointed. Vickery doesn’t miss any opportunity to bring out the hilarity of the situations in which he places the characters. For example, bumping into your boss at a sex shop, walking in on your boss dancing in a blissful moment of private surrender. However, the treatment of the underlying themes brings substance to this play.
Amanda (Gillian Mosenthal, who also produced this) is the necrophiliac and boss in question and the only character who reveals her insecurities directly to the audience. Instead of judging, we are invited to journey with her in her struggle and shame. I was impressed with the attention to psychological detail in the writing, particularly with the reveal of Amanda’s childhood trauma. Vickery has done his homework on this psychiatric condition. But there is no schmalziness here. It’s just a fact.
The minor characters shed more light on the question of whether necrophilia is a victimless crime. The recently bereaved daughter starkly contrasted with the mercenary med student who rents out cadavers to fund her studies. “Dead people are tools. I don’t care what you do”. Both characters were ably played by Joanna Halliday, who stole the scenes with her fearless performances.
However, the exploration of loneliness and the desire to connect in the face of shame draws us in. The actors have a lovely chemistry that brings the relationships to life. They really care about each other, and so do we. A developing romance between Mark and Amanda is at the heart of the narrative. But will it withstand the shame?
Come and see Necrophilia for the laughs, but you will be in grave danger of taking away a dose of heartwarming humanity.
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.
Enter a world of mystery and intrigue where the classic tales of Agatha Christie come to life in unexpected ways. This thrilling new show is back by popular demand and promises to keep you on the edge of your seat with all new improvised tales of murder and mayhem in response to audience cues.
Each performance is a unique puzzle crafted live before your eyes. It’s up to you to piece together the clues and guess the murderer before the amateur sleuth does. With an ever-changing storyline and an unpredictable cast of characters, this show will keep you guessing until the end.
So, do you want to visit the quaint little post-war English town called Murder Village? It’s open to you and 75 other tourists for an hour every night except Mondays for the next four weeks until April 21 for the duration of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Will someone die? Will they have been… um… murdered? With a candlestick or a rope? Will they have been at the centre of an intriguing conflict involving several suspects who all have a motive? Will the detective be assisted by an amateur sleuth who solves the mystery despite the red herring?
I would say probably not a candlestick or a rope (sorry, Cluedo fans) because you and the 75 other tourists will actually get to suggest the weapon in question, and I’m sure you are all much more imaginative than that. Take your phone because if you scan the QR code provided, you can also virtually vote on who the victim and the murderer will be (you have a choice of four) and can suggest the nature of the village event (is it always a fundraiser?) preceding the murder, as well as the clue that the case rests upon.
So, let me tell you a bit about my excursion to the village on opening night. As I climbed the many stairs and entered deeper and higher into the iconic venue, which is the Butterfly Club, for the first time, I found myself waiting alongside the other tourists in a dimly lit narrow lounge filled with knick-knacks, portraits, small flickering TV, mirror – the quirky otherness was the perfect transition from reality to the escapism that is Murder Village. The narrow theatre worked perfectly, with tiers that ensured there were no bad views.
Tonight’s host was Miss Artemis Martin (Louise Fitzhardinge), our shrewd whodunnit novelist (Agatha?) and our MC/narrator/unimaginative police officer was Detective Inspector Owen Gullet (David Massingham). We were introduced to Lady Clarissa Spalding (Candice D’Arcy), an excessively wealthy widow and best friend of Marion Kind (Amanda Buckley), a boisterous wartime entertainer.
Eddy (not Teddy) Brewster (Rik Brown), an Earl of Wooster, has bought the rights to Marion’s songs so that only he will profit whenever she performs, leaving her destitute. His respectable butler, Eames Chair (Rhys Auteri), has tarred feathered himself and picked up broken glass with his bare hands to serve his master. Eddy dies on a serving platter with a sharp edge that accidentally, on purpose, severs his carotid in a hilarious death scene. True to the genre, all three suspects are hiding something, but Artemis’s intellect uncovers Lady Clarissa as the murderer, and we are privy to her confession enacted as a flashback.
The population of Murder Village was 84, but now that Eddy is dead and Lady Clarissa is put away, there are now 82 possible people left to entertain you when you visit. So, the plot will be completely different based on your input. If you are like me, you will be so carried away by the fun energy of the performances you’ll have to remind yourself that the actors didn’t know the details of the plot beforehand – it all just unfolds before them, as it does for us. Musician Terrence Mudwater Junior (Jaron Why) improvised the background music on the keyboard (piano/strings sound). This underscored the action so well without drawing undue attention to itself that I had to remind myself someone was playing.
So, enjoy your excursion to Murder Village! I know I did.
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.
