Opus, State Theatre, Saturday 18th October 2014

Opus, State Theatre, Saturday 18th October 2014

"Opus" is a collaboration between Circa and the Debussy String Quartet and presented as part of the Melbourne Festival.

Yaron Lifschitz from Circa directed this fantastic show that showcased some great musicians and circus performers.

The thrills and build up is what was lacking from "Cirkopolus".  Even though some of the acts in "Opus" were not as polished they were better choreographed for a build up of tension and drama.  The thrills and spills made it more real and the audience appreciated the reality checks.

This fine ensemble are pictured on the Circa website.  I understand the cost and space limitations of not having the cast photos in the programme, but what a shame as it adds to the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  It is such a good talking point to be able recognise a particular performer or act in the programme.
 

There were numerous hula hoop acts running through "Opus".   Occasionally we were treated to a pas de deux of either a single or multiple hula hoops.  Tumbling and acrobatic tricks through, up and under the hoops added to the suspense.  Occasionally there were some near misses or misses but these added to the spectacular timing, skill and accuracy of these performers.

The Aerial Straps was performed by Daniel O'Brien.  He has a beautiful line and fine musicality in his lyrical performance.  He demonstrated power, strength and artistry in this difficult act.  He had the audience oohing and ahhing at his stillness, presages, falls and other tricks. 

Talking of which - the audience's reactions and the connection by the ensemble with the audience was more prominent than with "Cirkopolus".   Even though "Cirkopolus" had cleaner lines and more precision in some aspects, "Opus" provided a more circus feel by building the suspense and engagement with the audience.  The overall direction and choreography of "Opus" with such a blank stage was more satisfying and thrilling than "Cirkopolus" which had all of the multi-media.
 

The acrobatics and tumbling was a constant show stopper.  The choreography was tight and kept us involved.  Fabulous examples of many different types of tumbles and falls.  They formed three tier tower like structures and leaning tower like structures.  One man stood on another's shoulders and they leant so far forward that they dropped into a forward roll that received a thunderous round of applause.  The tumbling and acrobatics were so engaging.

 

During the Contortionist routine where she was carried off stage reminded me of the true story from Gary Jennings' book "Spangle" where a contortionist died on stage and was carried off stage by clowns.  This moment paid so much homage to this true story.  The contortionists here were magnificent in their dexterity but also their choreographic fluidity. 

The trapeze act by Jessica Connell (?) involved a lot of heaving, grunting and grinding.  I wanted to see more grace, elegance and ethereal lightness that is associated with the trapeze.  As one of my 78 year old circus/trapeze friends said "she loved the beauty of the trapeze."  Here we could see effort.  That did not bother me too much as it requires such skill and strength.  What bothered me was that I wanted a bit more stillness to savour the shapes and the aplomb to finish each sequence - the old fashioned "ta da" poses.  Her performance was thrilling, exciting and assured.

During the trapeze act a male performer was upstage left creating contortionist poses.  This seemed a bit incongruous and distracting from her act.

Four performers supported the leg of a chair.  Michael Standen (?)  performs a chair balancing act with fine precision.  Has this chair been specially strengthened to bear the weight load?  I am fascinated and love the choreography as he keeps us in suspense for his next move.

There was a sequence with a lot of swinging people around.  At times it was like juggling people.  This was such a thrilling segment and the music supported it by making it more so.  This sequence had so much fun and frivolity and really played with our emotions.

Adagio  and Hand-to-hand routines were interspersed throughout the show.  There was some shaking at times but this adds to the excitement.  It was great to see the same sex couples doing some adagio work also.  Particularly the women as it appears more impressive with the supposed delicate nature of some females.  Do not be fooled as these are amazon women.

A lone runner does the vaudeville running act and trips and falls and picks himself up.  A curtain appears billowing low across the stage.  The ensemble are revealed in various upside down poses.  This becomes a handstand and hand-balancing routine.  It could also be similar to some break dancing at times.  They reminded me of the trees: where Snow White was running through the woods in the first "Disney On Parade."   This was an enduring memory of my childhood theatre experience.  The choreographic image of upside down tree-like shapes cements the memory of "Opus" further.

Acrobatic basing to me means the strong man/woman who supports the others above. They are like the foundations or the base of many multi-tiered routines.  They stand their ground and support those above them.  The men were very good at this and did have the occasional shake.  This adds to the tension building drama and the thrills of the ride for us as viewers.

The Debussy String Quartet played with such passion and moved around with such confidence. It was great to see them all wearing blacks unlike the concert last Wednesday.  The music by Shostakovich lends itself to such a theatrical event.  At times it was thrilling and created suspense and drama. 
 

The musicians were blindfolded for quite an extended period of time.  They played with such skill as they were moved around the stage by cast members.   At times a violinist could be carried or put off balance and still played with such security - and reminded me of the band playing during the sinking of the Titanic.  He would play to the bitter end.  The cellist was moved too and due to the nature of the instrument was a bit more restricted in how they moved him.  Still it added to the sense of accomplishment, skill and teamwork.
 

Overall a very satisfying circus experience.  More so because of the humanity of the occasional spill or near miss.  I loved the warts and all approach as it was not a clinical production.  This production had an honesty about the vulnerability of being a circus performer and a musician.  There was so much suspense and drama that I watched many of the audience on the edge of their seats.  That was a true connection with the audience.  This was theatre that created involvement and an emotional response.

Note: forgive me if the names are wrong as I tried to put faces to the names above from Circa's website.