Presented as part of the 2015 Come Out Children's Festival.
Circa and QPAC's Out of the Box Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 30 May 2015
With a thud of the Ring Master's staff, tent wings rise, music starts and performers gather. The carnival begins.
This unspoken, physical theatre performance is part-pantomime, part-circus, featuring acrobatics, juggling, mime and dance. Led by Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz, production company Circa have a well-deserved reputation for defining new works. Rising to meet this challenge,The Carnival of Animals is glorious.
The cast are superb both in acrobatics and dance. Set to classical music by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, they leap and creep about the stage as a multitude of animals, each more marvelous than the last.
Combined with a colourful set and gorgeous cinematography, it's a heady and riveting result. The digital backdrop is matched with both movement and music to brilliant effect. As heavy rain falls on the screen behind the performers, the sound of raindrops envelops us and one can almost feel them hitting your face and shoulders.
The ultimate in an array of highlights comes almost at the close. As we zoom from a barking dog on a hill down to the fleas in it's hair, performers appear armed with red balloons. Super-sized spheres launch into the crowd and meet cheers as they bounce from stall to stall. The child-like delight that bubbles up as the balloons dance high over our heads is unexpected and quite wonderful.
The Carnival of Animals is genuinely exceptional; if you get the opportunity, don't hesitate to see it.
Nicole Russo
When: Closed
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: Closed
