The Unbelievables review

Magic, circus, live music and dance come together this summer at Arts Centre Melbourne with The Unbelievables. The variety show presents world-class performers that will often leave audiences captivated by what they are seeing in this two-hour live extravaganza.

Roberto Carlos Aguilar's juggling is an absolute highlight of the show and to have had him on stage for even a few more minutes would have been amazing. At times juggling with his mouth - yes, his mouth - this was one of the most thrilling acts of the evening, with Aguilar reaching speeds and variations that you rarely - if ever - get to see.

Aleksandra Kiedrowicz is mesmerising with her aerial performance and the accompanying musical rendition of Des'ree's "Kissing You" by Emi Secrest is a breathtaking moment, as is any musical number with Secrest. Sos and Victoria Petrosyan's Guinness World Record breaking act of 16-costume change illusions in two minutes will leave you gobsmacked, trying to figure out exactly how it is done.

A large TV screen hangs in the centre of the stage with two additional screens on either end providing a live feed of the show for audiences who are sitting further back or to the sides of Hamer Hall. While this allows for the smaller more intimate acts such as Julia Kurkina's beautiful sand drawing and Shin Lim's hand card magic to be appreciated, you can't help but feel like you are watching a YouTube video with your gaze firmly placed at the screens. A show such as The Unbelievables in a venue the size of Hamer Hall requires big and bold acts to keep the momentum going and to hook the crowd in.

Comedian and host for the evening, Harrison Greenbaum does a great job eliciting laughs from the audience, despite some of his humour being slightly inappropriate. Surely we've come to the point where making jokes about deaf people and generalising that Asian people all look the same should not be considered funny? 

With over a dozen varying performances, it's only natural that some acts will be more exciting and fascinating to different people, but that's the beauty of a variety show such as this, there really is something for here to suit everyone. While the cast are clearly skilled at what they do, there are times though when you can't help but feel that you've seen something very similar before. Despite not being the greatest variety show on Earth, as it claims, The Unbelievables is still an entertaining and fun night out. 

Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne.
Season: 13 January | Tues - Sun 3:00pm and 7:o0pm
Tickets: $39 - $120
Bookings: Arts Centre Melbourne

 
Photo Credits: Jacquie Manning