“With an underlying message of the comfort that music and imagination can bring to a life, this is a clever, chaotic, classic masterpiece.“
Kate Stratford
4.5 /5 magic flutes
Riverside
Three performances Only to 12th
A delightful, dancing daredevil, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (is that the coolest rock star name ever?) comes alive to celebrate a lonely girl’s birthday by engaging with her in a series of acrobatic, tumbling, dancing, slapstick set pieces which not just amuse, but engage with an emotional story.
The two develop a friendship through marvellous feats of balance and strength, including the girl standing en point with Mozart balanced on her shoulders until the end piece, where he constructs a tower of chairs balanced on champagne bottles which he climbs and performs hand stands.
Almost as captivating as the performance was the reaction of the audience. Squirming children were stilled. Captivated, saucer-eyed, clapping and cheering they ooh-ed and ahh-ed every thrilling moment. And what better way to lead children into an appreciation of classical music? They giggled as Mozart chased a spotlight which developed a character of its own; cheered when he conducted his own music with flying batons and were charmed with his silent comedy. Think of Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp or Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean and you will understand the mastery needed to perform this sort of comedy. A live accompanist plays with the music with equal dexterity.
Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus is the brainchild of Yaron Lifschitz who created Circa
Contemporary Circus, now one of the world’s leading performance companies. Since 2004, from its base in Brisbane, Circa has toured the world with its ensemble of exceptional ability; pioneering extreme physicality which blurs the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus. These artists’ feats challenge the notion of not only what is possible in circus but what circus can look like.
With an underlying message of the comfort that music and imagination can bring to a life, this is a clever, chaotic, classic masterpiece.
A school holiday family-must-see.
Kate Stratford., Theatre Now
Photo by Dylan Evans.
