Reviews

Back in 1992, a full nine years before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences created the "Best Animated Feature" category, the animated movie version of this classic fairytale had the audacity to be nominated for "Best Picture" - alongside arguably the most diverse group of nominees in Oscars history:  JFK, Bugsy, Prince of Tides and the winner, Silence of the Lambs.

These shows work well as a double bill as the nature of the highly innovative and ground-breaking work of Eliza Sanders is unusual and heavily stylised, and this can require some acclimatising. Sanders merges a variety of art forms including dance, cabaret, theatre and visual and performance art. All of these forms are fully explored and their boundaries are often pushed to their limits. The abstract qualities of the show can present a challenge when trying to engage with the themes that are occurring, but the performance is always visually striking and aesthetically arresting.

Unlike her predecessor, the 50 Foot Woman from the 1958 schlock movie Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Anna Lumb is about as wholesome as you can get.  She’s bright-eyed, fresh-faced, athletic and she has a great big grin.  Nor was her Super Amazing Giant Girl transformed by aliens: she just somehow… grew to giant size and had to leave her country town – after, it’s true, demolishing some of it - and came to the city.  But a Giant Girl doesn’t fit in in the city either… 

Humour, intrigue, incredible talent, skill, physical theatre and dance feature in Head First Acrobats’ mesmerising production of Elixir at the SeymourCentre, part of the Sydney Fringe festival 2016.

Head First Acrobats is comprised of three graduates from NICA, Australia’s circus school, Callan Harris, Thomas Gorham and Rowan Thomas. Together they create a show that exhibits physical theatre, dance, circus skills and comedy.