I went to the circus last night, set up in the tiny space that is the  Reginald theatre at the Seymour Centre. This was by way of a show called ELIXIR put on by Head First Acrobats and presented as part of this years’ Sydney Fringe Festival program.

ELIXIR proved to be a bit of knockabout fun. Just a note to begin with. With its colourful blend of risque humour that runs through the show, ELIXIR does not come under the ambit of a family show, and is not suitable for young kids. Three very enthusiastic performers- Callan Harris, Thomas Gorham and Rowan Thomas– took over the small Reginald stage with their very impressive acrobatic skills, honed from years of training.

Highlights from the show included seeing them, variously, fly up to five metres high on the edge of a teeterboard, perform one arm handstands on ‘poles’, balance and ‘walk’ around the stage on a ladder, pirouette on a swinging trapeze, and spin upside down on a Roue Cyr wheel.

The talented trio came up with a narrative to put a structure around their routines. They play three bumbling scientists who, with their manic experimenting, attempt to stumble upon the elixir of life. The staging is nice and clean. The circus props are kept at the back of the stage and grabbed when required. There is a desk, centre of the stage, on top of which they keep all their laboratory apparatus, potions and syringes. The performers wear lab coats.

My verdict. This was a knockabout hour of entertainment, that doesn’t warrant close scrutiny. I enjoyed the good natured, larrikin style of performance. At all times, they played up to the audience who lapped it up, They clowned around- the antics of Rowan Thomas were a particular highlight- and teased the teenage girls sitting in the fronts seats who went along with their cavalier humour and ‘too sexy for their shirts’ attitude.

ELIXIR is playing the Reginald Theatre at the Seymour until September 24. Performance times are night at 8.30 pm. For more details check the Seymour Centre website.