Cirque O L I O | JACs Entertainment
Making its world premiere at Brisfest, Cirque O L I O promises three things: something you’ve never seen before, something you’ll never see again, and something you have to see to believe. It certainly delivered at least one of these for me, though not in the way I anticipated.
Images: Atmosphere Photography
Billed as a show for the whole family, O L I O offers an assortment of circus acts, dance, magic, and aerial artistry to dazzle and delight without overstaying its welcome at a tight 70 minute runtime. As pre or post-dinner entertainment, it’s an easy and fun way to spend your evening.
The only introduced act was Raymond Crowe, the Unusualist, whose shadow puppetry act you may have already seen online. Lending the ‘family friendly’ billing much legitimacy, Crowe demonstrated his skills as a consummate entertainerwith a range of magic tricks, mime, and ventriloquism. Unfortunately, his three acts were the weakest parts of the show for me, not because they were geared more towards a younger audience, but due to his reliance on bringing audience members on stage to interact with. Audience participation is a delicate balance between fun and cringe at the best of times, and I don’t think the South Bank Piazza was the right venue to create the intimacy, and trust, needed for that participation to completely succeed.
While I’ve seen the spectacular talents of the contortionist and foot-archer Shannen Jones before, it was wonderful to see her progression as a performer. She built suspense masterfully, so that even though I’d seen her work and knew what was coming, I was on the edge of my seat. The rest of the show held a variety of polished acts familiar to audiences who have attended circus shows before, from roller-skating to juggling to trapeze art, all performed with the skill and flourish of competent, seasoned artists.
Being a semi-regular attendee of circus, I admit to a degree of scepticism towards the promise that I would see something I had never seen before. I was delighted to be proven wrong, my cynicism melting away not in what was performed, but in who performed it. I’ve seen numerous sexy hoop acts before, but O L I O made the unexpected but fantastic choice of including Adam Malone, a non-binary circus artist in its line-up.
Images: Atmosphere Photography
From the moment they walked out on stage, I was captivated. Their first act was an incredible display of hoop artistry and sensational stage presence, controlling both the increasing amounts of hoops and their connection to the audience with confidence. What made their act so electrifying for me was the fact that we were watching a different body performing the same kind of sexy hoop routine that normally features a talented cis woman in lingerie. The producers of O L I O made the choice not to pander to the heteronormative male gaze and instead offered a specifically queer subversion of gender expectations in a general entertainment show for all ages. Held up against Brisfest’s other circus and magic variety show I attended last week, The Purple Rabbit, O L I O comes out miles ahead for this alone.
Other than that, O L I O doesn’t bother with a host, keeping us entertained with dance routines in between the more showstopper acts instead. The show benefits from this decision, with no awkward banter and an energetic pace that kept the audience going right until the end. However, it did mean we weren’t given any information about the performers during the show. Details online are also limited, only crediting the Creative Producers Ash McCready (also the producer of Cirque Bon Bon) and Juliann Nugent. It would be great to see circus shows giving more visible credit to their performers so audiences can continue to follow and support them.
O L I O delivered on its promise that I would see something I had never seen before, and I truly hope I have the pleasure to see more of this kind of subversive and affirming inclusion again.
Images: Atmosphere Photography
For reference, here’s the full list of the cast & crew of the show:
Creative Producer/Director: Ash McCready
Creative Producer / Choreographer: Julieann Nugent
Production Manager: Matthew Cook
Resident Director / Stage Manager: Stephen WIlliams
UNUSUALIST / Host MC: Raymond Crowe
ROLLER SKATERS: Scott Lazaravech & Emma Goh
HAIR SUSPENSION: Katrina Lilwall
LED CYR WHEEL: Alexandre Lane
HULA HOOPS AND WASHINGTON TRAPEZE: Adam Malone
CONTORTION ARCHER: Shannen Michaela
JUGGLER: Cody Harrington
DANCERS: Tiara Locke, Holly Soper, Alisa Timofeeva, Jordan Lennon, Noah Cooper & Jayden Grogan
