Spiegelworld's 'theatrobatic' Broadway spectacular, EMPIRE, has been selling out shows throughout Australia on its way to Brisbane.
"In January-February we were in Sydney, and we just finished an eight-week period in Melbourne and it's been amazing," says producer David J Foster. "The Sun Herald in Sydney gave us a 10 out of 10 star review. We also got incredible reviews in Melbourne. The ticket sales really went through the roof. We had to add extra performances because they were selling out. It's been a unanimously strong response from the critics and from the audience."
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The show delivers a 90-minute blast of full-on circus, burlesque and comedy, on a tiny stage that's way too small to comprehend the extravagant acts the show has to offer.
"There are really some exciting high-speed acts that the audience is sitting really close to. There's a foot-joggling act from Ethiopia that people really love. One guy at the back of the floor really speeds up and he's juggling another guy, and he spins so fast and then bang, he twists and will go in the other direction. There's an act in the final where this guy balances all these sticks, and it's very hard to explain, it just sounds weird. It's the opposite of this high-speed thing so it's kind of zen. That's very popular as well."
The Belgian Spiegeltent, placed on the rooftop of Melbourne Crown Casino, left audiences in Melbourne amazed, but David believes the best location is yet ahead. "We look for great locations everywhere, and it was cool in Melbourne, but of all the locations in Australia, the Brisbane location is far and away our favourite. There are commuters going by rush hour and we really feel a part of the city there. The Crown Casino location was great, we were on the roof of the casino, but we were a little bit separated from the city. Absolutely, Brisbane is the best location we've had in Australia. I think King George Square is amazing."
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Spiegelworld's EMPIRE takes over King George Square from Friday May 24.
