The misadventures of Lady and Lucky begin tonight when the pair of troublemakers takes over the Metropolitan Hall in Taipei. Cirkus Inferno is loud, messy, full of explosions, and kids will love it.
The theatrical performance by Canadian-based Daredevil Opera Company is full of pyrotechnics and slapstick humor. It's something like Buster Keaton, Charlie Chapman and The Three Stooges, in that its similar to a silent film, with almost no dialogue.
"This style of humor requires no translation because the humor speaks to people of any language," said Serina Chen (
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIPEI ARTS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION
A DVD screening of a performance in Europe presented children screaming with laughter at the antics of the lead characters, Lucky and Lady, played by Jonah Logan and Amy Gordon respectively. The show begins when the accident-prone couple arriving late to the circus.
To get to their seats, the two clowns start climbing over chairs in the audience, all the while spilling popcorn and water everywhere. When the circus performance they come to see gets canceled at the last minute, the two start clambering over the young patrons again, this time to get to the stage. Once on stage they begin investigating the circus' props and within the hour, Lady and Lucky uncover a pogo stick, rocket costume, jet skates, combustible dog and a magic ukulele and grass skirt. Attempting to tidy up the mess leads to an even bigger disaster when the pair tries to operate janitorial equipment. At the end of the performance the stage is covered in confetti, streamers and spilled popcorn.
The set design is inspired by American vaudeville stages of the late 1800s and is decorated with retro posters advertising traveling circuses, dime museums and freak shows. The circus adventure also features an original, live sound track composed by Paul Weir, the same man responsible for the fire and pyrotechnical effects.
Unsure of how "opera" fits in to their repertoire, The Daredevil Opera Company are a combination of clowns, circus and stunt performers. Not exclusively children's theater, the troupe has a range of productions for all audience types and age groups, including Rocket and Roxy's Stunt Show, which warrants a mature content rating.
Members of the five-person troupe have been involved in Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy show, Cirque du Soleil and most recently the New York based company Antigravity, which produced the Broadway show Crash Test Dummies. Having toured extensively in Europe and North America, this is the troupe's first time in Asia.
The show opens tonight in Taipei and after the weekend will tour in Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, Taichung and end in Hsinchu. For information on tickets, dates and times of additional shows, check the ERA web site at www.ticket.com.tw.
Performance notes:
What: Cirkus Inferno: Kid's theater from Canadian based performers
When: Thursday, July 15 to Sunday July 17 at 7:30pm with weekend matinees at 2:30pm
Where: The Metropolitan Hall (
Tickets: NT$300 to NT$1,200 available at ERA ticket outlets or online at www.ticket.com.tw
Telephone: (02) 2341-9898
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