Flying in my gondola

As if they stepped out of a fashion catalogue, the quartet who compose  Band of Magicians  – Justin Flom, Justin Willman, Nate Staniforth  and  James Galea  – look, talk and act completely different than any other visual illusionists out there. With the exception of the intro, the show was devoid of stereotypical laser, smoke and half naked magician’s assistants, it was obvious that  Band of Magicians  was going to take an alternate route to entertaining an eagerly awaiting Melbourne audience at the Crown’s Palms theatre. Sharing some magic secrets and showcasing an array of familiar tricks, gave the audience the illusion (yes, pun intended) of a somewhat predictable show – this of course was intentional so that the performance could experience a crescendo of sorts, and gradually increase its ooh-ah factor to a full-on awe level, causing the attendees to burst out in cheer. Besides performing as a team, each one of the magicians also dazzled with...

Left – Lilikoi Kaos and Circus-Oz band. Cover – Spenser Inwood. Photos – Rob Blackburn Locally grown and internationally recognised  Circus Oz are not known for their intimate shows, but since the recent move into their new permanent home in Collingwood, they have pitched a gorgeous old Spiegeltent and launched their latest show,  Close to the Bone .  With  Close to the Bone , the  Circus Oz  crew have deconstructed their large-scale production, squeezed it into The Melba Spiegeltent and are now performing something which is very much ‘in-your-face’ both in space as well as in style. With performers leaping off the minute stage nearly into the laps of audience members, and occasionally flashing body parts which would normally be neatly tucked away,  Close to the Bone  is a joy to experience. It’s like a condensed and intensified  Circus Oz  in one neat little morsel-like serving. Although the whole production was whipped up in just a few...

Left – Claudio Sgura and Martina Serafin. Cover – Claudio Sgura and Diego Torre. Photos –  Jeff Busby Giacomo Puccini’s  Tosca , based on the 1887 French-language dramatic play by Victorien Sardou, was originally set in the summer of 1800, in Rome, when the Kingdom of Naples was threatened by Napoleon’s invasion of Italy; a very turbulent and violent time. Opera Australia’s  latest rendition of  Tosca , is directed by one of Australia’s  most acclaimed theatre personalities, John Bell , who has set the opera, which some critics have referred to as ‘over-familiar’ even ‘old’, in an equally dangerous and brutal period in Italy, the German occupations of Rome of 1943. Martina Serafin  embodying  Tosca , and  Diego Torre  as her artist lover,  Cavaradossi , radiate a special chemistry, which is laden by jealousy as well as great affection. Their performance was thoroughly moving. “Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,” (I lived for art; I live...

If you are a child of the 80s you will recognize Rock the Casbah as a popular song by the English punk rock band, The Clash. And that’s where the similarity ends... or so it seems. The song, Rock the Casbah , gives an account of a ban on rock music, by a king who is being defied by his kingdom’s population. The king orders jet fighters to bomb anyone who violates the ban, but the pilots ignore the orders. The Clash based their 1982 top 40 songs on the ban of Western music in Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The film Rock the Casbah is not about Iran, nor is it about its Islamic Revolution, but it does have a so-to-speak king, and his “population” does indeed revolt against his rules. In this case, the “king,” Moulay Hassan ( Omar Sharif ) is a respected entrepreneur and the patriarch of an affluent Moroccan family. Hassan unexpectedly suffers a cardiac arrest and dies, leaving behind his grieving wife Aicha ( Hiam Abbass ), three daughters and a brother to tend to h...

On a remote desert army base in southern Israel, very important strategic military maneuvers are being mapped out in a smoke-filled hot office, and the big wigs are getting irritated due to the lack of refreshments. A male superior officer directs his discontent to a female officer - Rama (Shani Klein) - who promptly rushes off to hunt down the culprit who’s failed at the mundane task of making and delivering of beverages. Rama’s frustration is palpable.  Adding to her stress, just as Rama is about to serve the refreshments to the officers, a flurry of young women donning uniforms waltz into the office/kitchen, coming back from weekend leave, spewing dialogue of extreme discontent with the military forces. Among them are Daffi (Nelly Tagar), a young woman who clearly has no desire of returning to her duties, and Zohar (Dana Ivgy) her comrade in arms, equally unenthused.  After Rama hurls a rapid and heated verbal reprimand their way, the two soldiers enter the meeti...

Photos – Aaron Walker After years of learning, practicing and refining their craft, the National Institute of Circus Arts’ (NICA) final year circus students are able to exhibit their dynamic and captivating acts in front of the public in a special showcase held at the custom built NICA in Prahran. This year’s show, featuring 20 final year students, is titled ROUGE et BLANC , and it’s actually two very distinct performances... one being ROUGE, and the second BLANC, running from July 2nd to the 5th, and each show performed three times throughout the six show season. Hosted by MC  Aurora Kurth , donning a top hat, rhinestones, corset, fishnet stockings, ruby slippers, matching sparkling lipstick and speaking with a French accent,  Kurth  was the “glue” between performances, and a perfect fit for the cabaret-style show, where she delivered her humour laden lines with cheeky zing, and a singing voice to be reckoned with. NICA is Australia’s only Bachelor of Circus Arts. Duri...

The below review was originally published on Australian Stage and can be read by clicking here . Written by Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Friday, 30 May 2014 08:39 Melbourne has the privilege of being one of the stops on internationally acclaimed dance troupe Pilobus’ world tour, performing its groundbreaking new show Shadowland . Having featured on the 79th Annual Academy awards, and performing for Oprah Winfrey, Shadowland , simply put, is a fusion of shadow theatre, dance and acrobatics – but in actuality it is so much more. Using screens of all sizes to project onto them seemingly impossible body morphing, where dancers magically transform into exotic creatures and beautiful imagery, to convey a fantastic tale, Shadowland brings to life the story of a young girl who is at life’s cross road. While she reluctantly prepares for bed, she wishes that her parents’ perception of her would change. Convinced that she is more mat...