Presented by Circo e dintorni
Reviewed 18 February 2020
As you would expect from the title of this acrobatic show, the backing music will make you feel good. The toe-tapping songs are primarily of or inspired by The Blues Brothers with one notable song and scene inspired by The Full Monty.
The five buff guys flip, tumble, leap, climb, catch and balance, and they do it exceptionally well. The skipping routine in particular, offers quite a few feats that are not often seen in a modern day circus. Their acting skills aren’t quite as good, with all the comedy feeling very forced and staged.
The lads are wonderfully cheeky but surprisingly violent in a way not often seen nowadays except in slapstick or farce. The staged aggression includes a lot of pushing and shoving and, at its most extreme, four of them gang up on the fifth and forcibly strip him to the waist when he refuses to comply with the group. It’s not funny nor is it meant to be, making each of these moments a pointless display of machismo from an otherwise delightfully charming troupe.
Only two words are uttered in the entire show, both of them repeated several times. The company hails from Italy so to conquer the language barrier (presumably), there are long moments of silence as the troupe gesticulates rather than speaks. This creates several drawn-out quiet scenes of wasted time.
The Black Blues Brothers provides a lot of wow! moments and a number of laughs. Their acrobatic skills are undeniable but the staging of the show lets them down.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Venue: The Cornucopia, Gluttony, Rymill Park, Adelaide
Season: Until 15 March 2020 (excluding Mondays)
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: $35-$48
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-black-blues-brothers-af2020
- Visit the Circo e Dintorni website
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