Walking into ‘Boom Boom In The House Of Casa BlahBlah’ I had no idea what I was in for. Walking out, I was lost for words on how to describe it.
This brand new alt-circus production from the award-winning and record-breaking creators of ‘Blanc de Blanc’ and ‘LIMBO’ is fittingly called 'Casa BlahBlah', because upon exit you’re guaranteed to be left speechless. From gravity-defying acrobats, to risqué musical numbers, plenty of eye candy and metres upon metres of toilet paper, ‘Boom Boom In The House Of Casa BlahBlah’ has something for everyone and while there are a few missteps along the way, it’s definitely an entertaining night out that will have your heart racing in more ways than one.
From the moment the fluorescent lights turn on, the infectious soundtrack starts and Spanish aerialist David Marco makes his entrance walking along a tightrope in nothing but a conveniently placed hat; it immediately sets the stage for the types of hijinks expected throughout the performance.
Marco and fellow aerial artists and acrobats Felix Pouliot, Oscar Kauffman and Jess Mews continuously outdo themselves with each following act. Felix Pouliot takes part in one of the most jaw-dropping acrobatic stunts I’ve seen in recent memory; while Kauffman delivers a show-stopping performance involving a hanging coat rack and then returns in the air for a sultry aerial number with Perth darling Jess Mews that rivals Zac Efron and Zendaya’s swoon-worthy 'Rewrite The Stars' scene from 'The Greatest Showman'.
Acrobats and thrilling stunts aside; the musical numbers are another major highlight. Rechelle Mansour wows the crowd with her powerhouse vocals and her seemingly effortless dancing and Melanie Hawkins gets her chance to shine in one of the more risqué numbers; while Perth’s own Louis Biggs brings plenty of the cheeky charisma that made him a firm favourite in 'Briefs'.
While the jaw-dropping stunts and musical numbers deliver; not everything in the show lands. Felix Pouilot and Melanie Hawkins' mimed interludes get a little repetitive as the night goes on and some of Brazilian comic Claudio Carneiro’s gags are a little difficult to follow, possibly due to audio issues. Regardless, Carneiro’s brief date with an audience member scores arguably the biggest laughs from the crowd for the night.
At 120 minutes long ‘Boom Boom In The House Of Casa BlahBlah’ is a frisky, glitzy and wild show which is entertaining but not for the faint-hearted. Perhaps a slightly shorter show would have omitted some of the unnecessary and repetitive filler content and made for a more cohesive production, but overall the incredibly talented cast make up for any shortcomings.
‘Boom Boom In The House Of Casa BlahBlah’ is the perfect show to reintroduce Perthians to the newly reopened The Rechabite Hall, a reminder of the venue's vibrant past and its exciting future which, thanks to this show, has been reignited with a boom!
★★★☆☆
