Elixir | Head First Acrobats
9E2A4512
Wow, what beautifully stupid show. Seriously!
In Elixir, Head First Acrobats have created an almost perfect piece of bubblegum circus pop. Don’t let their glistening six-packs cheeky grins and buffoonery trick you. These three gents are smart and highly skilled entertainers who know how to work an audience. And boy did we love every second of it!
The scene is set with the three performers as scientists of the Elixir Corporation, who take the audience on a tour of their facility under the guidance of the shadiest AI since HAL. The human guinea pigs test out the company’s latest experimental performance enhancing mixtures for us, which bring-out crazy tricks, hidden desires and whole lot of random hilarity.
This loose premise is the perfect excuse for them showcase their impressive range of skills. We’re treated to some stellar circus in the form of acrobalance, handstanding, teeter-board, trapeze, rou-cyr and breakdancing, all mixed in with a healthy dose of slapstick and beautiful dumb comedy. Standout acts include Cal Harris and Thomas Gorham’s acro duo and new recruit Harley Timmermans’ hyper rou-cyr that left the audience screaming for more.
Now let me get to the important point - Head First Acrobats are sexy boys. They know it, the audience knows it, the lady next to me almost had a seizure over it. In between the speccy tricks, they flirt with all genders in the audience and with each other. It’s a refreshing departure from macho posturing you see in many circus shows.
The premise also allows them to obliterate the fourth wall. They almost dare the audience to not have a good time. Harley particularly plays with the crowd like a fiddle, bantering with the audience and hamming it up at any opportunity. Cal and Thomas perform with the joy and energy of a new show in its debut run, despite them touring this for more than four years. The chemistry of the three is infectious and it’s in the moments when they crack it other up that leave the audience in hysterics.
Elixir mixes a healthy dose of high quality circus skills with some cheeky skin, a dash of zombie apocalypse, a touch of robotic snark and a whole lot of stupid fun. With their debut show, Head First Acrobats have cooked up a tasty batch of circus you won’t be able to resist. Make sure you sample the products when it next tours through town.
