Barbaroi by After Dark Theatre is perhaps a little glimpse into this Mad Maxian future where a band of circus performers roam the land, using their skills and the things they've found along the way to entertain the masses and each other.
And I'll say this about tonight's excursion into the wasteland... I love circus shows, a lot. In the past 10 years of attending the Fringe I've seen at a rough estimate at least 40 circus shows. It's one of the first sections I go through in the Fringe guide.
So I think I can safely say that After Dark did things that I have never seen other circus performers do.
I've never seen anyone use handcanes that tall, which Ryan Darwin did with grace and power. I've never seen giant sheets of perspex (that light up no less) used as balance beams like Karina Schiller did... and that was a sequence I didn't want to end.
Then there's Byron Hutton's juggling... I've never seen someone juggle rings using their ears, or flick them around like he did. I also didn't know that musical juggling balls were a thing... but they are, and they're amazing and I want some, even though I can't juggle. I loved that the focus would come back to him between acts, just showing him do a "simple" balance trick that got more and more complex as the show progressed.
And even the things I had seen versions of before were done brilliantly here. Watching Darwin work on the corde lisse (and I realise now that I possibly saw him in By A Thread a couple of years ago) was so stunningly beautiful, as was Stan Ricketso on the aerial straps... but then I do love watching strap performers. Ricketson also looked super familiar, but I honestly don't know from what.
I was also totally blown away by pretty much everything Jon Griffingham did. I always say that the circus bases don't get enough love... they're the ones throwing everyone around and Griffingham did it spectacularly. Plus he did twists and dives during the hoop diving section that absolutely blew my mind.
And Schiller's finale on the Chinese pole was sensational. So manic and powerful.
Last but by no means least was Amy Nightingale-Olsen who I ended up thinking of Psycho Pixie throughout most of the show (it was that thing with the flick knife, honestly) was just a delight. I especially loved her interactions with both Griffingham and Hutton and she did some amazing foot juggling.
All in all this was exactly how I like my circus, fast, frenetic, powerful and with excellent music.
yani's rating: 5 juggling clubs out of 5
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