Air Play

Air Play is a captivating and magical show that can only truly be appreciated by experiencing it for yourself. Created in collaboration with kinetic sculptor Daniel Wurtzel and directed by West Hyler, the show is performed by New York-based duo Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone.

Bloom, formerly a juggler, and Gelsone, formerly a ballerina, had extensive training in clowning before joining forces to become “Acrobuffos”. The pair have gained a reputation for creating original work that defies genres and elicits laughter without words.

Air Play is their seventh creation, and it showcases their clowning skills and ingenuity in a mesmerizing display that employs silks, balloons, umbrellas, glitter, packing ‘peanuts’ and the power of wind to create a continuous stream of stunning images. The audience is quickly drawn into playful onstage banter, with Bloom and Gelsone vying to outdo the other in inventing clever and imaginative ways to play with a variety of objects.

The show features a clever use of music that complements the visuals, enhances the audience's experience and probably introduces some younger audience members to some gems of the classical canon. Sartie's ‘Gymnopedies’ provides a serene soundtrack as silks float dreamily overhead, Puccini’s ‘Nessum Dorma’ and Holtz’s ‘Mars’ are also used to great effect. Thankfully, Sonny Bono's ‘Bang Bang’ is curtailed before its gruesomeness is revealed and goes on to introduce the audience to the largest red balloon you are ever likely to see, especially on stage at the Festival Theatre.

The balloons keep coming, in all shapes and sizes - huge ones, tiny ones, even wearable ones. Fans of Bluey will delight in prolonged games of ‘keepy uppy’, which is surely a childhood favourite that transcends all cultures.

Throughout the show, the audience is treated to a combination of meditative moments and hearty laughs. There is a what is best described as a pre-COVID level of audience interaction in this show, which is both delightful and by the same token somewhat disturbing to see (take a mask if you’re concerned). Look out for the hand-held ‘leaf blower’, which results in some truly hilarious audience/performer interactions.

The highly polished physical skills and clever clowning hide the complexities involved in performing this magical show. The narrative of Air Play could be stronger but there are subtle threads of childhood rivalry, love and loss that weave through the performance.

Air Play is visually stunning and will leave you with a quiet sense of serenity. An absolute  must for our young theatre-goers who could be overheard extolling the virtues of the show as we floated out of the theatre.

Jenny Fewster

Photographer: Florence Montmare

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