Under the Covers Volume 3: Unplugged - Review

Post

Subscribe

Posted 2019-03-04 by Tema ⇒ follow

Overall review: & #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;
Date attended: 02/03/2019

South Australian-based circus school Zig Zag Circus returned to this year's Adelaide Fringe with their new show Under the Covers: Volume 3 - Unplugged for a limited run. Following a sombre theme around dealing with death in a lighthearted yet poignant manner, the show encompassed a myriad of circus acts, such as aerials, acrobatics, balancing acts, and physical theatre that gave us goosebumps throughout the show.

Starting off the show on a pensive thought, we saw before us a bed, with someone laying on it. Surrounding the bed was a congregation of people, who seemed to be mourning the death of someone special, for whom they had brought some flowers. We then saw a skilful performance of acrobatics and aerials on silk throughout the show, which complemented the moody tunes playing in the backdrop. Following this, we were treated to a fun balancing act involving a plank and no solid base. We saw duos demonstrate incredible core strength, as they balanced the weights of each other on themselves and defied gravity, through their ability to maintain unreal yet jaw-dropping poses to leave us in the audience dumbstruck.

A symbolic show that took the audience on a journey of different emotions - from sadness to pure joy to whimsical mischief to silly antics to a touching close - we were left with a thought of what the next chapter awaited. I particularly loved how there was diversity in the age range of the cast members, which showed us how one can never be too young to too old to be a circus performer. Seeing an exceptional range of skills complementing the overall vibe of the show, it made it appealing to the audience to see the brimming talent from these incredible students from Zig Zag.

While there were moments where we were left wondering how each act may be connected (if at all) to add to the overall context around exploring one's subconscious state of imagination, fantasy, and desire, there's no doubt that each act stood out for its high levels of dexterity, boldness, and coordination that brought the audiences to a gasp and awe frequently throughout the show.

The cast is part of a circus school and while some of them may still be exploring their pathways as students, they have developed a sense of agility, strength, and flexibility, which when intertwined with a range of emotions that are expressed vividly through their facial expressions, have a great amount of potential. The cast has demonstrated their skills and abilities around acrobatics, balance, coordination, and aerials in ways that show a diverse range - from being sensual and dramatic to playful and silly. While the theme of this show, in particular, is in a sense, dark, it carefully balances the heavier themes with those that lighten up the mood at the worst of times. The acts are impressive and offer audiences with something worthy of a class act in the circus industry.