circustrickteaseCircus Trick Tease
Trades Hall – Old Council
March 25 – April 18, 2010

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Circus Trick Tease; an abnormal trio of acrobatic geniuses.

Between the three of them, the cast has the energy of five toddlers, the strength of a superhero and the flexibility of Gumby. They’ve got body parts that bend in ways they’re not supposed to, they can sing, and they’ve got themselves into an inter-circus love triangle.

The storyline isn’t so complex. The trio caricatures different types of circus performers; they’re putting on a show, but things aren’t running so smoothly. Their raunchy back stage antics, suggested by naughty shadow play, make Circus Trick Tease a Comedy Festival stand-out.

Robust performer Shannon McGurgan plays a cliché 1920s strong man, complete with a fake moustache, bulging muscles and leopard print leotard. His hilarious ballad, ‘Sensitive New Age Strong-Man’, had the audience in fits of laughter. When he’s not trying to pick up women in the romantic sense, he’s physically lifting them. Each show, four lucky ladies are simultaneously hoisted by this super-human casanova.

The overly-dramatic and incredibly flexible Malia Walsh plays the drunk, attention seeking owner of the circus. We know it’s her circus because she constantly reminds the cast when things aren’t going her way. Not only does she throw a good tantrum, she is a mean, green, back-flipping machine.

Walsh plays the part of a diva superbly, attempting to win the affection of her co-workers and offering herself to whoever suits her at the time. She’s got the hots for the strong man, until she comes across someone she likes better: the exotic, silent type.

When Iranian balancing genius Farhad Ahadi first appears as a silent clown, it is clear he will be is the quiet achiever of the night. He rarely speaks, but his jaw-dropping balancing stunts left the crowd in stunned silence, and won the biggest applause of the night.

Although the acrobatics isn’t flawless, any minor slip-ups are forgotten as the troupe swiftly moves on to the next trick. All three have impressive comic timing, and flexibility, and show it off as best they can through a series of flips, headstands and near-impossible balancing feats that have the audience shaking their heads in disbelief.

The act, which ran for a good 50 minutes, did seem to end quite abruptly. One minute the trio was running amuck — literally throwing each other from one side of the stage to another –and the next, they were standing on each other’s shoulders for the finale, thanking the audience for their time. I felt that there needed to be some kind of closure. One thing was clear though: the wild antics of this slightly twisted trio certainly left the audience wanting more.