I’ll never shy away from a trip to the circus. There’s something magical about the different incredible acts and their equally as incredible feats of strength, technique, and trust in one another. Each production I see gives me something new to be surprised about and Cirque Bon Bon is no exception.
Produced by Jacs Entertainment and Woodward Productions, created by Ash Jacks and choreographed by Julieann Nugent, Cirque Bon Bon is a collective of incredible performances across 80 electric minutes of tantalising, hilarious and edge of your seat theatre. Plus, with Jacks formerly being in Cirque Du Soleil, it’s no surprise that this production is as tight as the larger circus shows are under the big top.
As I entered Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre, an interesting looking character was greeting patrons as they took their seats. After a wonderful dance intro by Cirque Bon Bon dancers; Jayden Grogan, Holly Soper, Hunter-Jai Clist and Tiara Locke, this mysterious character turned out to be the emcee, Mario. Dressed in leather pants, a crop-top style leather jacket and sporting a handlebar moustache, I initially thought he was dressed as the biker from The Village People. As it turns out, Mario was actually dressed as the frontman of the greatest rock band in the world, Freddie Mercury from Queen. After he introduced himself as Mario, Queen of the Circus, it all made sense!
Not only is Mario a funny and fantastic host, but he is also a circus performer in his own right. His juggling act is technically perfect with a comedic twist. Queen’s iconic track ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ became part of the act as Mario timed his juggling tricks to the beat, cleverly dropping balls to the lyrics ‘another one bites the dust’. His crowd work is just as impressive, bringing up some unsuspecting members of the audience to participate in his antics.
Performances of the evening include a stunning Aerial Hoop number by contortionist Ashleigh Roper. Not only does Roper put on a jaw dropping hoop act high above the Athenaeum stage, but she does so whilst bending and twisting her body into shapes I never imagined were possible. Roper also has a fantastic hula-hoop number during the show. How someone can spin a hoop with their toes, I will never know!
Liam Drummer continues the aerial theme later in the show with an awe-inspiring Aerial Straps performance. Drummer’s strength is incredible, and whilst I was blown away with how he twisted and turned himself up and down the straps, it was when he hung by his mouth that had me holding my breath.
Whilst Mario’s Juggling had already impressed me, Cody Harrington turned it up to eleven with his performance. From balls, batons and rings to combinations of them at the same time, Harrington had the crowd captivated from start to end. Whilst the odd mistake occurred, Harrington recovered extremely quickly and finished off with a stunning final trick. You’ll just have to head along to see what he does!
Now, it wouldn’t be a circus without some stomach-churning contortionist, and this comes at the hands, and feet, of Shannen Michaela. She folds herself into positions that had me squeamish and gasping in shock and awe. Michaela is also very tall, making it all that more impressive when she bends over backwards, seemingly with a rubber spine. But Michaela’s real talent is one that has her in the record books – holding the Guinness World Record for shooting an arrow the furthest distance with her feet. Yes, feet! Despite the Athenaeum stage being far from the size of an open field, Michaela still blew me away with this brilliant trick.
If everything I have mentioned thus far is not enough to get you to the show, then this duo damn well should. Australia’s own Emma Goh and Scott Lazarevich open the show with an incredible display of strength and trust with a hand-to-hand performance. Looking at the pair, it was easy to see why, Lazarevich is so huge and in comparison Goh is so small, the way he flipped her around appeared like she was weightless. But what impressed me the most was Goh’s own display of strength when the roles were reversed.
The penultimate performance of Cirque Bon Bon sees the return of the Australian duo with an insane roller-skate number that will have you hanging on the edge of your seat. I don’t know how they managed to do it, spinning around and around on a circular platform whilst Lazarevich throws Goh outward. The trust that these two have in each other is just as impressive as the performance itself. Seeing Lazarevich and Goh stun audiences together is well worth the price of admission alone!
Throughout the show, Cirque Bon Bon dancers Jayden Grogan, Holly Soper, Hunter-Jai Clist and Tiara Locke dazzle the stage with multiple numbers and aide in each of the performer’s numbers as required, the quartet equally as impressive with their dance skills, and strength. Although there is also a fun tap number in the middle of the show, I couldn’t hear the tap shoes. This was the only criticism of the entire show, everything else was perfect.
At the beginning, Mario introduced Cirque Bon Bon with its English translation meaning ‘Circus Candy’ and it is exactly that, Cirque Bon Bon is electrifying, death defying, sexy and deliciously tantalising. Ash Jacks has successfully curated a satisfying recipe of circus entertainment in a neat little package, and in its 80-minute run-time, Cirque Bon Bon is perfection.
Cirque Bon Bon has an extremely limited run in Melbourne at the Athenaeum Theatre with only four performances remaining on Friday July 12th and Saturday July 13th. Both are with a matinee and evening performance at 2pm and 7pm respectively. So, don’t hesitate and book your tickets now before this sweet and sensational circus rolls out of town! The show will then tour nationally to Canberra, Darwin and Brisbane.
For more information on Cirque Bon Bon and ticketing, visit:
https://www.instagram.com/cirquebonbon
https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/cirque-bon-bon-tickets/artist/3143909
Photography supplied.
