The Kagools: Cirque du Kagool - Adelaide Fringe Review

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Fri 14 Feb 2020 - Sun 15 Mar 2020

proudly presented by Gilded Balloon

Having previously performed at Adelaide Fringe for several years running, and winning Adelaide Fringe's Best Comedy Show in 2017, it was quite unfortunate that in 2019, multi-award-winning comedy duo The Kagools bypassed Adelaide, meaning that something would always be missing in this year. However, it is most pleasing that it was only a temporary break, as 2020 sees them return to the Fringe for the Adelaide premiere of their brand new show Cirque du Kagool, an entertaining show which has definitely been worth the wait.

Established in 2011 by comedians Claire Ford and Nicky Wilkinson, The Kagools have been spreading joy through their unique style of entirely silent physical comedy, which can best be described as absolute stupidity (in the best form of the word), and ordered chaos which leaves the audience in fits of laughter.

Specifically, Cirque du Kagool is a brand new show, which, as the name suggests, has a heavy circus theme, which seems quite relevant for a duo who have made their living in clowning. As the audience enters the intimate performance space, they are greeted by both performers who directly interact with select patrons and attempt to sell carnival snacks for hefty prices ($67 for popcorn, for example) whilst quickly establishing rapport with their audience, and leaving one smiling, before the show even begins. What follows is a show which features whip-cracking, magic, hula hoops, interpretative dance, underwater ribbon twirling, strongest woman contest, pre-filmed trampoline stunts, and a giant carnival game featuring one very lucky audience member (patrons are to be advised that there there is copious amounts of audience participation).

The show is clever and well structured and unpredictable, and Wilkinson and Ford are obviously seasoned performers and definitely no strangers to the art of physical comedy. Both performers have exceptional confidence on stage and know how to keep an audience laughing, through using appropriate and often deliberately exaggerated facial expressions and clever physicality. They make physical comedy look easy, but this couldn't be any further from the truth though, as what they have accomplished would be no easy feat. It can be very easy for such a show to become boring and uninteresting, but I am continually left blown away by how they continue to think of new material to perform, whilst still remaining fresh. While there is not much improvement that can be made to the show as it currently stands, my only recommendation would be to shorten the Wrecking Ball scene only slightly, as it does start to become repetitive and predictable, and therefore loses it comic effect. This is, however, only very minor and does not detract from the overall exceptional performances given.



Sometimes life can be difficult and it's easy to feel sad, however, The Kagools provide much relief from this, filling patrons with hope and joy where sometimes it can be difficult to find, with a show which is joyful, silly, creative, weird. In short, it is impossible not to be filled with joy and laughter after having attended a show from The Kagools, and be left with a memory to last a lifetime. Here's hoping The Kagools will pay a visit to Adelaide again sometime soon, they'd be most welcome.

*patrons are to advised that this production is not to be taken seriously, and contains very silly and outrageous content. It is not suitable for those who are unwilling to laugh uncontrollably*
Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5).

#adelaide_city
#comedy
#festivals
#humour
#quirky
#shows
#february
#march
!date 14/02/2020 -- 15/03/2020
%wnadelaide