Onyx Productions’ '360 ALLSTARS' is a modern urban circus: high tops, not big tops; a place populated by inhabitants of the concrete jungle, not the African jungle.
Instead of a ringmaster, there is an MC, Sam Perry; break dancers Kareem and Leerok take the place of acrobats; a basketballer, Mr Basketball, is not a traditional juggler; Peter Sore rides a BMX, not a unicycle; Rhys Miller’s giant steel ring, the Roue Cyr, is akin to... I don’t know, but it is as remarkable as the high-flying trapeze.
All the while hip hop produced by Perry’s loops and director Gene Peterson’s drums accompany the action. The moniker of 'ALLSTAR' isn’t given out lightly; it is more than just advertising puff. Each member of the team is either a world champion or at the very least highly renowned.
While all are stars, Mr Basketball and b-boy Leerok most effectively merge skill with showmanship; both are beaming and joyous clowns that evoke gasps and laughs. While the spectacle is entertaining to people of all ages, for the adolescent boys, it truly was their jam.
The playgrounds, basketball courts and skate parks of Adelaide will be filled with enthusiastic attempts of replication, but maybe not of the Roue Cyr routines; if your kids are able to get their hands on a seven-foot steel ring, you should really assess the strictness of your parenting.
If you want a way to get the kids off the couch and away from the gaming console, this is it. When they go home, they may even play outdoors voluntarily.
★★★★☆
