Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:16a.m.
By Ally Mullord
Friday at the Buskers Festival was, for me, the Day of the
Night Shows! (What? It's a great title.) I went to see The Walkryies, and FUSE
Circus.
The Walkyries are usually a three-woman fire show, but as one "decided to
get pregnant" they've shrunk to a duo - a little too much banter in
between the tricks suggests the recent gap in the lineup hasn't been quite
smoothed over, but the show is enjoyable nonetheless. It starts slowly with
introductions, a touch of audience participation (Christchurch doesn't seem to be particularly
good at this) and an excellent belly trick, but the fire element of
the show is definitely the best bit.
The Walkyries advance, fans of flaming Wolverine-esque spikes in each hand,
looking like something straight out of Viking myth (as imagined by World of
Warcraft). They stalk happily around the stage, screeching and laying trails
of kerosene, and it is exciting! The soundtrack is thunderous, the performance is
impressive and, well, if you would like to see a scantily clad lady cracking a
whip to death metal, this is the show for you. Don't pretend you wouldn't like
to see that.
From there they progress on through fire staff, acrobatics, and fire poi to a
finale which I won't spoil, but which was suitably impressive. There were a
couple of un-nerving moments - dropping a stick which is on fire is a bit
different to dropping a juggling ball - but the Walkryies recovered quickly
("I almost died," one deadpanned), and the crowd didn't care.
Cheeky, likeable (and single, as they pointed out to the
male audience members), the Walkyries had a couple of teething problems but
once they've settled into it they should be one of the main attractions of the
festival.
If you're unconvinced, three words: fire air guitar. (Sounds like the
Captain Planet call gone wrong.)
FUSE presented a Kiwiana-themed show, Campground Chaos, which at times lacked
polish but more than made up for it in enthusiasm and charm. The show incorporated
juggling, trapeze, hoops, acrobatics, aerobatics (do you say aerobatics for
people, or is that only for planes?) and other circus-y things that I don't
know the technical terms for and would never have the flexibility to do. The
soundtrack, which was ear-splittingly loud at times, was Kiwi music (Poi E
reared its head, even!); the set was decorated with giant pohutakawa flowers
and at one point in place of feather boas the lovely young ladies wore strings
of sausages.
The five-person cast of FUSE were, in no particular order, a woodpigeon, a
camping ground owner, a tourist, a rugby player and a bogan. They were all
fantastic, although the bogan was initially distracting due to a large and
possibly unintentional hole in his trousers. In the middle section of the show
they unexpectedly transformed into two showgirls, two male dancers, and a rugby
player in a French maid's uniform, balancing atop the ever-present unicycle! It
has become clear that this week I will be seeing more unicycles than I ever
imagined possible.
The show revolved around a camping ground and its occupants, with the boys
attempting to win the girls' hearts through juggling (not the way I'd go about
wooing a lady, but each to their own) and the girls responding with feats of
their own. The flashy dream sequence provided an opportunity to get out the
whips and the aerial hoop, and the midair finale was a dramatic way to showcase
the awesome skills of the performers. If you're not convinced, three words:
midair picnic table.
Sometimes I think perhaps I will marry an acrobat and run away with the circus.
Blond acrobat? If you're reading this, call me.