image supplied: credit - Jacquie Manning
Opening night of
The Unbelievables at Sydney Opera House opened with all the razzle and dazzle you would expect from a theatrical extravaganza showing some of world's greatest circus, acrobatic and magic performances.
Image credit - Seafarrwide
I was left breathless with amazement and exhausted from applauding. The moment the show commenced, I was totally mesmerised by not only the hilarious master of ceremonies
Harrison Greenbaum, also in awe of the mind-bending illusions, jaw-dropping magic tricks, death-defying aerials, acrobatics, deadly knife throwing, astonishing sword swallowing, dexterous juggling, outstanding human strength in hand balancing, hilarious comedy and sensational dancing. All backed by an incredible six-piece swing orchestra!
image supplied - credit: Jacquie Manning
Harrison Greenbaum begins the night with an explosion of pizzazz captivating the audience with his engaging personality, good looks and masterful wit. He is one of the most sought-after comedians in the United States featuring on NBC's
Americas Got Talent and
Last Comic Standing, along with winning the highly regarded Andy Kaufman award and other prestigious awards. He performs in over 600 shows a year and easily introduces each act with a great sense of humour, flair and creativity. He kept the audience rocking on their chairs in laughter all night.
The night commences with dancers and performers igniting the show with their captivating presence bursting with colour and sparkles.
image supplied - credit: Jacquie Manning
The incredible ballroom performances are performed by a troupe of top professional dancers from Australia and the around the world. Included in the line up are Singapore International Latin champion Jarryd Byrne, 2007
Dancing with the Stars winner Craig Monley,
Australian Latin Dancesport Champion Sirani Argaet, 2015
Adult Open Ballroom champion Andrew Nolo and
So You Think You Can Dance Ukraine super finalist Kateryna Klishna.
image supplied - credit: Jacquie Manning
Burning a path on stage came the world famous
Transformationalists
Sos and Victoria Petrosyan. Dressed to kill in their own glamourous couture designed by Sos himself, they perform 16 effortless costume changes in breathtaking 120 seconds!
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Tony-Award winning ventriloquist,
Jay Johnson thrilled the audience with his masterful vocal illusion performed with lightning precision. We were all astonished at his amazing skill and ability to amuse and entertain the audience.
image supplied - credit: Jacquie Manning
Shin Lim - The Virtuoso
image supplied - credit: Jacquie Manning
Shin Lim is the Reigning World FISM Champion for Close Up Magic and a self-proclaimed "Sleight-of-Hand Artist". He has been awarded by the
International Federation of Magic Societies, International Brotherhood of Magicians and I
BM Close Up Magician of the Year. His mind-boggling finger moves have confused even the pros in the industry, Shin has appeared twice on
Penn and Teller: Fool Us, in the U.S., a segment with over 47 million views on YouTube, and managed to completely stump the professional magicians with the tricks he performed, both times.
image supplied - credit: Jacquie Manning
I love magician acts and I watch carefully to see what is going on and how they distract the crowd. Virtuoso Shin Lim had a flawless performance that was mesmerising from beginning to end. His suave good looks distract along with his sleight of hand tricks that are far from magic but carefully choreographed routines that are performed with the utmost precision and dexterity. His moves are mindboggling and will leave your mouth gaping in wonderment.
Brett Loudermilk - The Blademaster
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One of the youngest professional sword swallowers in the world and dubbed a "master showman" by Neil Patrick Harris,
Brett Loudermilk has performed in over 20 countries and shared the stage with everyone from Perez Hilton to Snoop Dogg and Penn and Teller. An expert on the history of magic and sideshow performance, Loudermilk regularly showcases his skills at L.A.'s world-renowned Magic Castle and has performed at The Montreal Comedy Festival, Kids Choice Awards and at Speigelworld's Vegas Nocturne in Las Vegas.
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I think I wasn't alone at being amazed and felt my own gag reflex kick in a few times as each knife blade was swallowed. The balloon trick really left me baffled and a bit queasy!
Alfredo and Anna Silva - Deadly Games
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America's Got Talent finalists'
Alfredo and Anna Silva are a daring and deadly husband and wife duo. Alfredo is a sixth-generation circus performer who has studied magic and juggling during his career. He has mastered the act of the most dangerous of performing arts: knife-throwing. Anna, originally from Russia, is a professional ballerina who in 2009 combined her love of dance with Alfredo's dangerous passion, and Deadly Games was born. After wowing the judges as semi-finalists on 2016's
America's Got Talent, the duo now bring their heart-stopping routine to the stage in The Unbelievables.
We all held our breaths as each knife was thrown within inches of Anna's face and body.
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More dancing throughout the show from
Kateryna Klishyna and Jarryd Byrne who tantalised the audience with their sensational moves. The spectacular costumes designed,
Angela Aaron were a visual feast allowing the simplistic beauty of the dancers to shine.
image supplied - credit: Jacquie Manning
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Julia Kurkina - The Artist
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World-renowned for her sand drawing videos that have gone viral online,
Julia has also performed all over the world with her skilful sand art. Watching her nimble fingers gracefully transform sand particles into different pictures soothed my soul.
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Robert Karlos - The Dexterous Dynamo
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Emi Secrest - Vocalist
If you enjoy an extremely powerful voice that can go from deep raspy tones to a high uplifting level, exhilarating every fibre of your being, then you will love Emi. I totally adored her voice and she has a beautiful unique energy that is captivating.
Emi Secrest - image - Facebook
Robert Karlos is a fast, furious and dexterously skilled speed juggler from Mexico. The 27-year-old is a fourth generation juggler and has been honing his craft since the age of 15. He has incredible skill, using his hands and mouth to manipulate several objects in motion in the air at the same time and with speed!
Aleksandra Kiedrowicz - The Floating Phenom
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As the winner of "Got Talent" Poland in 2015,
Aleksandra Kiedrowicz is one of the most sought-after aerial performers in the world. Soloing on 4 continents and in 21 different countries, Aleksandra combines elegant gymnastics with emotion as she hangs high over the heads of the audience, floating in a clear sphere.
It was beautiful to watch the athletic ability and strength of this amazing aerialist.
Alan Pagnota and Rafael Ferreira - Dupla Mão na Roda
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Alan and Rafael use the time-honoured circus art of hand balance as the basis of their performances. Rafael was born with a pathology called Congenital Arthrogryposis and although he has needed a wheelchair throughout his entire life, this has never prevented him from becoming a gifted artist. Alan is a talented performer who perfected the art of clowning by touring with the Blue Man Group and performing on Broadway for many years.
These two were amazing to watch. Their upper body strength was astonishing. A variety of positions were performed using only the support from each other's body weight. I was totally transfixed by each skilful move and suitably impressed by their body strength.
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Artem Lyubane - The Titan
Artem Lyubanevych - image credit: Jacquie Manning
Artem Lyubane is known the world over for his strength and power. As one of the world's top aerial gymnasts, his prowess on the flying swing pole is legendary. I was in awe of his strength and flexibility as I watched him lift and contort himself on a moving apparatus suspended 20 feet in the air – the highest aerial act ever performed in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.
Image supplied - credit: Daniel Boud
Image supplied - credit: Daniel Boud
Music
The entire show spectacular also features live music throughout from an incredible swing band lead by
Matt Cusson. No stranger to entertaining large crowds, having performed on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,
The View and during the live broadcast of the star-studded Christmas in Rockefeller Center special.
Director Neil Dorward said "
We know what audiences want with a summer spectacular, they want pure entertainment. We have a long history of creating astonishing and entertaining stage shows, so we knew we had to travel the world to find the very best talent to create something truly unique. The cast we've assembled for The Unbelievables all bring something, unmissable and unlike anything audiences have seen before."
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I was totally impressed by The Unbelievables and highly recommend you buying a ticket now! With a strictly limited season, don't miss the chance to witness the world's most truly unbelievable experience!
*Seafarrwide was invited as a guest.
SYDNEY
WHEN: 19 - 29 December 2017
WHERE: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
TICKETS: Tickets from $64.90 booking fee.
sydneyoperahouse.com 61 2 9250 7777
MELBOURNE
WHEN: 3 - 13 January 2018
WHERE: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
TICKETS: Tickets from $39.00 booking fee.
artscentremelbourne.com.au 1300 182 183
PERTH
WHEN: 18 - 28 January 2018
WHERE: Crown Theatre Perth
TICKETS:
ticketmaster.com.au 136 100
Credits
Creative Producer: Simon Painter
Executive Producer: Tim Lawson
Co-Executive Producer: Andrew Spencer
Directr and Co-Creative Producer: Neil Dorward
Original Music and Arrangements: Evan Jolly
Costume Designer: Angela Aaron
Lighting Designer: Paul Smith
Sound Designer: Camden Young
Associate Choreographer: Jarryd Byrne
The Works Entertainment
www.theworksent.com
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