Adelaide’s Gravity & Other Myths transform a plain black mat into a joyous playground; the acrobatic ensemble colours their world with their smiles, their skills and their impish desire to compete, all while backed by live percussion.
By show's end, you will be teleported to that simple place, childhood, where wonder abounded.
'A Simple Space' is a little like watching gym class at Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters. They use skipping ropes, compete in backflip beep tests, play leap frog. Each student has a seemingly mutant ability: Mieke Lizotte merges flexibility with strength and immense lung capacity; Lachlan Harper leaps vast distances in a single bound while simultaneously landing as lightly as a feather; Lachlan Binns cracks a Rubik’s Cube while balanced on his head. They compete against each other like school kids at lunch time; instead of who can eat the most chocolate, it is who can cradle an audience member in their arms for the longest. At points, it becomes akin to watching the Winter Olympics; you develop attachment and barrack for your preferred artist.
While watching the acrobats compete is entertaining, it is when they work as a team that the most stunning moments occur. With so much circus around at Fringe time, it is easy to become desensitised to the danger. The height of Gravity’s bodily constructions and the momentum of their throws will challenge the apathy of the most jaded circus critic. Through it all, genuine grins blaze from the faces of the performers, and comedy infuses almost every moment. Gravity & Other Myths make the extraordinary appear simple.
★★★★★
