Admittedly, I did walk in to Terror Australis not knowing what to expect at all, and I am so glad I did because the delights it unearthed are so much richer if you have no idea what’s to come (so either go see it now, or read on at your own peril). Through a clever mix of cabaret, burlesque, live art, dance and comedy, the show looks at the dark culture of Australia with gobsmacking flair.
The set design is true Australiana with a hills-hoist used for makeshift pole-dancing, resulting in some pretty slick and sexy routines. Added set pieces such as goon bags, knives and dingo masks further enhance the strong feelings of ambiguous national pride, and while these items are enough to infer what performer Leah Shelton may be referencing, watching as these allusions comes to life takes it to a magnificent other level.
Presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, The Human Project's 2.0
| Contact, is an exploration on what touch can be and mean to humans and how life
could be without it. A highly physical experimental piece, it incorporates
martial arts, dancing and some wrestling moments as an "outsider"
dissects and analyses the state of physical touching.
With injury befalling one of the performers, the show has had to be
restructured to work around the three remaining cast (Rosie Osmond, Ashton Sly
and Joseph Lai) and you wouldn't be able to tell as the performance is seamless
and feels like it has been just the three of them rehearsing all this time. This
is a highly demanding show - both physically and mentally - but the training and
effort the three have put in in getting this piece together is evident. With its
minimalist set, staging and costumes there is nothing for the
performers to hide behind and their every move and word is what has all of our
attention.
We all want to be something special. As children, we are led to believe we can be by our parents and teachers, and while it can be a positive thing, it can also be quite detrimental. Presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Hotel Now's Nothing Special, looks at what happens when people live their lives based on the belief that they are extraordinary, and more talented and important than the average man.
We follow a young girl, Chlorine (Simone French), literally from from the moment she is born. Her mother informs us that she was not supposed to live beyond the age of five, but that's a defeatist attitude so she was forbidden to die. Chlorine's dreams to be different and unique and to leave her mark on the world as an innovator in the arts are explored through various periods of her life, but when this seems unlikely, it is the harsh realities that Chlorine must then contend with.
The dating game is a hard one to keep up with, let alone win. With online
dating apps more or less becoming the most common way in meeting someone, going
on a first date and getting to know someone from scratch by face-to-face is a
distant memory. In her Melbourne Fringe Festival show, OnStage Dating, Bron Batten is determined to change things, by
having a first date with a member of the audience on stage - and the results
are priceless.
The show opens in a colourful and attention grabbing way and from then on,
we are all putty in Batten’s hands as she recalls memories of bad dates and
describes the science behind dating and human interactions. Eventually she
pulls out the pre-filled questionnaires from all the participants willing to be
her date, and I am surprised by how many there are.
Contemporary circus company, Vertical Insanity Circus are performing their first inter-state season as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Their show, Mortal Sins , uses circus and contemporary dance to explore the seven deadly sins. Unfortunately, the performance, while sound in skill, needs more work in developing these themes and the show.
Alex Charman and Persia Janzen possess a solid level of skill and technique with their show, completing some impressive acrobatics and a nice turn on the trapeze. However, there does not appear to be a story evident and any potential meaning that can be inferred is subsequently lost. Mortal Sins feels like we are simply watching people perform without purpose or intention. Similarly, the dance routine by a male performer, again talented in his own right, seems quite repetitive and lacks the passion that dance requires.
