Slava’s Snowshow

 

Slava’s Snowshow

QPAC Lyric Theatre

26 – 30 June 2013

  

Reviewed by Poppy Eponine & Xanthe Coward

 

Following his sensational performance as part of Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria, Slava went on to create his own Slava’s Snowshow which has become a multi award-winning international sensation, delighting and thrilling audiences in more than 80 cities around the world, from London’s West End to Sydney and from New York to Moscow.

 

Slava’s Snowshow is a fusion of traditional and contemporary theatrical clowning arts. The show brilliantly creates a world of wonderment and fantasy that transports the audience to a joyous dream-like place, where a bed becomes a boat in a storm-tossed sea; a child walks in amazement inside a bubble; boards a train and then becomes the train, his chimney-pot hat billowing smoke; and a web of unspun cotton envelopes the audience. The stunning finale sees a letter turn into snowflakes, and the flakes turn into a snowstorm, which whirls around the auditorium, leaving the audience ankle-deep in snow.

 

CHILDLIKE WONDER

 

 

The bubbles were amazing and I loved how the snowstorm worked!

 

 

I got sad because he had to leave someone. It must have been his mum, in a big brown coat and a hat. They were at the train station before she sent him out into the world. He loved her so much and now he will miss her. It was the best hug in the world but it was sad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was FUNNY when the reindeer looking aliens crowd surfed and we got wet from the water bottle umbrellas. Mum shared her hoodie with me so we had some shelter, but it filled with snow. Her hoodie, her bag, and our boots – everything was filled with paper snow. Everywhere was snow! I collected it in my dress and threw it back at the new friends all around us. The boys in the front row made snowballs and threw them at each other. It was fun, everyone laughed! When we walked in there was snow and it kept on snowing. Even the special letter from his mum turned to snow. It was so fun. I loved it! It was the best!

 

BEST INTERVAL EVER

 

Poppy and I had seen the iconic images of Slava, and a little of the footage on YouTube, so we knew to expect an all-encompassing cobweb, which was taken by the audience over the entire audience – over our heads – and which caught in hair, and jewellery, and acrylic nails (because who ever has time for infills anyway?)! Poppy continued to take the cobweb and pass it on, even as patrons were standing up and moving out to the foyer for Interval. Actually, I’ve never seen so few people leave the theatre during Interval, and why, in this case, would anybody want to? The show went on! It was the best Interval ever!

 

KEVIN RUDD

 

Act 2 began with a scene in gibberish, during which, most appropriately, Slava mumbled “Kevin Rudd” in between nonsensical words while a reindeer looking alien clown sat and knitted in a rocking chair. He may have also said something about the footy but it came across as “the state of the union”. For those of us who hadn’t checked our Twitter feed or text messages during Interval, this was a particularly delightful delivery of the news.

 

PURE MAGIC

 

Slava’s Snowshow is big budget, high-tech, old-fashioned theatrical magic. I don’t actually believe that anybody could sit through this show and not be amused, delighted, amazed and moved by it. The effect the show has on its audience is a large part of the magic. When you walk in to a theatre full of paper snow, you make instant friends.

 

N.B. If you can, sit in the stalls. This is where the audience participation happens, and it’s near enough to the stage to see every nuance in the faces and bodies of the performers.

BEST SHOW EVER

It’s not often that I see a show in which I become so easily and so completely immersed. I always go into a show with a reviewer’s head on, even when I know I don’t need to write it up, but it’s rare that I feel like I’ve been swept away with the rest of the audience. Slava’s Snowshow is an experience that takes us back to the last time we looked out at the world through a child’s eyes. It’s beautiful, and delightful, and fun, and a little bit bewildering. The spectacular finale, using every high-tech gadget available, just as a child would, left us in absolute awe. We were, literally, to the tune of Carmina Burana O Fortuna, blown away. This was the icing on the cake. There is NO WAY you could walk away from THAT without being impressed and over joyed! (And overwhelmed, depending on age and emotional state. Poppy had a moment, it was SO INTENSE. Also, we lost our beautiful souvenir program in the snow under the seats and it was really sad to leave without it. We didn’t realise straight away, and I forgot to pick up another when I was back at QPAC the following night for QTC’s spectacularly sexy Venus In Fur, which is the other must-see at the moment, though not for kids, obviously.

 

The light was BOOMING bright and no one could look at it otherwise their eyes would burst! It was so bright, like the sun; even with sunnies on you couldn’t look at it. Mum and I ducked down in our seats again and looked at it for a moment through the fur around her hoodie so we could see Slava trying to get to the light through the snowstorm. It was awesome! It was also a bit frightening because we didn’t know if that was the end of him in that little life. He came back for the curtain call and thank goodness he didn’t have the arrows through him!

 

IT WAS THE BEST!!!!!

 

Slava’s Snowshow must finish in Brisbane tomorrow Sunday 30th June 2013. Book online qpac.com.au

 

SUCKERS

Suckers

LOLipop productions

Harvest Rain Theatre

7^th – 10^th March 2012

 

Reviewed by Meredith McLean

 

I had the harrowing experience of a late train on the way to the Harvest Rain Theatre. Then whilst running as fast as I could to make the door a bat even batman would scream at dive bombed my hair. I stumbled into the warehouse sweating and gasped a breathless, “Sorry I’m late.” Finally, I could sit back in a comfy chair and let waves of relaxed entertainment wash over me. I collapsed into the front row and prepared for the calm that an anonymous audience in a theatre brings. Then the play SUCKERS began and those thoughts were dashed instantly.

This brainchild of Andrew Cory, Cameron Hurry and Pippa Moore is a hilarious mash-up of clown comedy and cleaning products. But this wasn’t a simple display of a couple of clowns falling over. Thankfully, the cliché of the pie in the face gag was put to rest before the lights went up. Ignoring the odd mishap or two with a malfunctioning prop there were some wonderful moments in which the audience became part of the act themselves. This pair of clowns had no concept of the fourth wall; there just wasn’t one.

We watch Minnie and Claude fumble around with the help of their pet vacuum, Charlie. But as they bumble about, the mess continues to pile up on them. The entire space of the stage is used while they poke their faces into the audience and attempt to clean whatever mess they create. Eventually they have to face the forces of evil clown-style. I won’t give away the ending, but the methods of their madness are too hilarious to keep a straight face.

It has a small cast but certainly not a small impact on the audience. All involved used every resource to make the laughter amplify in the room. Andrew Cory has had clown theatre close to his heart and it shows through his direction of SUCKERS. With his impressive education in the arts of mask, mime and performance such as attending the Centre Selavy Mask School in France it is obvious a lot of his own ideologies and affections pulse in this play.

The stage presence of Pippa Moore and Cameron Hurry matches Cory’s drive. Both actors already being fixtures at the Harvest Rain Theatre with their own respectful repertoires can chalk this one up as another production to be proud of. The playful balance of Pippa’s Minnie, the bossy clown, and Cameron’s Claude, the hopelessly happy fool is adorable to watch. Their antics make children giggle and adults become children once more.

But it wouldn’t be fair to praise Moore and Hurry without mentioning the guest clown played by Clint Bolster. Once again breaking the clichés of clown theatre multimedia was embraced in the plot. As Claude and Minnie leave the stage a hybrid of Benny Hill style comedy and silent film takes the screen. Clint Bolster magnifies his movement and facial expressions as the shady salesman. He has had a decade to familiarise himself with the art of clowning and it shows in this performance.

I was and still am disappointed in the conclusion of SUCKERS. The line between hilarity and pointless nonsense is a delicate tightrope these actors have to walk. For the most part they did manage to balance on that high wire of comedy. They lasted for so long, until the end where I wasn’t sure what had actually happened. It was a moment when I couldn’t tell if the play had ended. I desperately wanted Claude and Minnie to tumble out onto the stage again and give us one big finale. This wasn’t the case. Instead of a solid finish there was only an awkward silence, which spoilt the almost flawless consistency this play had taught me to expect.

Besides the wilted ending I would gladly take a friend to see this again. The most remarkable attribute of SUCKERS is the immaculate yet seemingly effortless choreography. The timing to each skit in regards to light and sound is vital. Each time Pippa Moore and Cameron Hurry embarked on a new disaster they matched their movements perfectly to an equally hilarious soundtrack. Cameron Heit was the sound designer for this production and accomplished a parody of music with elevator jingles, Mission Impossible theme songs amongst other amusing but appropriate tunes and sound effects.

My favourite experience of the whole play is absolutely the interactive nature that holds up the whole premise. They will talk to you. They might even get angry with you. But they will certainly make you laugh at all times. My only advice to you is to sit in the front row. Do not ask questions, just do it. You will not regret it.

This was the first of what I hope will be many plays involved with Harvest Rain Theatre’s AFFILIATE PROJECT. It is a wonderful little scheme to get emerging independent theatre producers onto the stage. Harvest Rain provides a venue, technical support and promotional assistance. The last piece of the puzzle to make this great project continue is an independent theatre producer with the passion to make a show happen. It seems fitting that SUCKERS kicks off the AFFILATE PROJECT. The loveable characters, Minnie and Claude, are so determined to get a job done no matter what obstacle is thrown in their way and that’s the attitude this project needs.

In the end this show is a side-splitting, laugh out loud night of entertainment with a couple clowns who are just suckers for a clean warehouse.