Le-Noir

Image: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

It is always interesting to observe how the circus has evolved from ancient times until today. The Roman Circus was a building where horses and chariot races were exhibited as well as gladiatorial combats and trained animals. Some historians affirm that the circus was an open space for showing lustfulness accompanied by tons of wine. Across the centuries the Roman circus was readapted around the world. The exotic animals and battles were left behind and body skills became the centre of the show.

In Le-Noir The Dark side of the Circus artists master in their body skills, performing with high standards of accuracy. The precisions of their acts accelerate your heartbeat and you might find yourself screaming in the middle of the crowd, in the same way that Romans did at the Coliseum.  

For instance, I had to close my when two Skaters were spinning on a 1.5 m diameter stage; for a moment I thought that one of them was going to fly off with no return. Or the Rolla Bola act where seven cylinders move independently topped by a board that provides a platform for the man who tries to balance himself on such a complicated structure. One can hear the audience deeply breathing in disbelief. Finally, the Wheel of the Death, a completely allegoric name related to the high-risk feats performed by two acrobats while the wheel is spinning incredibly fast.  Be ready to hear people scream every time that one of acrobats decides to jump outside of the wheel. Really scary!

To return our heartbeat to normal, there is Master of Ceremonies who chases people from the audience to make them do whatever he wants. With a mixture of humour and pure enthusiasm he keeps the audience engaging with his madness and happy face.   

Another interesting component of the show is how it was split in to acts with different colours. Firstly white, followed by red and ending in black. This polychromy suggests ingenuity in the white, passion in the red and corruption in the black, but one can make their own conclusions. Each of the acts was presented by a group of women wearing corsets and tiny lingerie and muscly men wearing just pants. The idea behind this is heterosexually focused and stereotyped: men are strong and women are weak. If the idea was to gives sensuality to the show, this does not really make it. 

There are many other acts: Cyr Wheel, Trapeze,  Pax de Deux, Duo Silk, Strong Men, Shapes, Aerial Lira, Single Hand Balance, Aerial Cadle to name a few. All these acts are beautifully performed and show a high level of expertise and commitment to make Le Noir an incredible show.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Creative Producers: Simon Painter
Executive Producer: Tim Lawson
Directed by: Neil Dorward
Composer: Julian Wiggins
Costume Designer: Angela Aaron
Production Manager: David Simpson
Resident Director: Mathieu Laplante

9 – 18 April 2015