It’s not often you walk out of a performance completely lost for words, but even those of the superlative variety fail to do justice to EMPIRE by Spiegelworld, which opened last night in Sydney. My mate who was lucky enough to be my date for the night summed it up perfectly when he said, “it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen”.
As the program notes state, EMPIRE by Spiegelworld “smashes the boundaries of circus, cabaret, vaudeville and burlesque, reinventing the genres for a 21st century audience”.
To create EMPIRE, the Spiegelworld team, led by impresario Ross Mollison, assembled an Australian creative team of director Terence O’Connell, choreographer John O’Connell and costume designer Angus Strathie.
The show, which had its world premiere in New York in 2012, manages to combine the athleticism and artistry of Cirque du Soleil with the youthful exhilaration and raw sexuality of an impossibly attractive troupe of performers in a way that left the audience totally captivated for its entire duration, even during the “quieter” moments.
EMPIRE consists of a number of acrobatic, gymnastic acts broken up with a fair smattering of vaudeville and burlesque, with the obligatory piece of audience participation thrown in for good measure.
Yet there were so many highlights in this perfectly paced show that it almost feels like a travesty to omit any segment from this review, such was the show’s overall strength.
The tone is set right from the outset with the opening act, Miss A in a Bubble (Lucia Carbines, who just happens to be Australian). Suspended in a clear Perspex bubble above the stage, she contorts, spins and hangs upside down in a way which is truly breathtaking.
This is followed by Oscar and Fanny, the hosts of the show, performing a quick-change costume routine, which not only had the audience in stitches but had, let’s just say, at least one major surprise.
The Gorilla Girls, (three stunning looking Ukrainians), formed perfect pyramids balancing on top of each other in increasingly unlikely positions, roller skaters Polka Dot woman and Blue Tarpoleon, from Russia, worked themselves into a frenzy in the tiny circular stage, whilst Carrot Man and Lime Green Lady from the Ukraine provided a beautifully sensuous, passionate routine balancing on top of each other in increasingly unlikely positions.
There were two acts, however, which sent the awe factor into the stratosphere.
The first was 3D Graffiti Guy (Memet Bilgin, from Turkey/Canada), who’s first appearance consisted of him being handed a spinning top, which he placed a large piece of driftwood and managed to guide gracefully and precariously up and down its length, but it was his second appearance which was nothing short of legendary. Without giving too much away, simply because it deserves to be seen with as little pre-conceived understanding as possible, he manages to create a self-supporting structure balanced entirely on a single feather, with no hidden tricks or supporting structures. When in the end he removes that feather and the entire structure collapses, it would be fair to say that you could have knocked the audience over with a feather.
The second highlight was the foot juggling act of Black Flintstone and Big Mac Boy (the Addis brothers Tariku Degefa and Yonas Alemu from Ethiopia), who provided a breathtaking display of high-powered gymnastry and artistry.
Special mention should also go to Oscar and Fanny’s Banana Party, which will change the way anyone views the consumption of that particular fruit, and the superb musical accompaniment provided by Miss Purple and Moondog (Victoria Matlock and John Shannon) from the US.
All in all, the reason Empire works so spectacularly is because the stunning pieces of human movement are not only stunning but highly original, the funny bits are side-splittingly funny and the exuberance of the performers would have left even the most jaded audience member feeling, well, exuberant.
It was simply a joy to be in the presence of such beautiful, hugely talented people, if only for 90 minutes, and re-entering the real world at the conclusion of the show felt distinctly anti-climactic.
EMPIRE by Spiegelworld has an ethereal beauty about it which should live long in the memory of those fortunate enough to see it.
[…] Sydney Arts Guide offered, “It’s not often you walk out of a performance completely lost for words, but even those of the superlative variety fail to do justice to EMPIRE by Spiegelworld.” […]