After seeing Limbo, I felt it would be hard to witness another acrobatic circus so soon. Surely it couldn’t top all the wonderful array of party tricks they had up their sleeves. Indeed, Limbo is a high-tech, over-the-top masterpiece of the circus. So I went into Scotch and Soda, Sydney festival’s other house circus, with little expectations. And it’s probably for the best that I did, for this isn’t a show that tries to top Limbo, or any other circus for that matter. It’s a show that may take you back a few years…
The performance begins with a man on a bike, circling the stage as we all try and get comfortable (the wooden grandstands do little to assist). Behind him, a drunk man wanders in, shouts obscenities and then collapses hard onto the table. One assumes the night passes and he is awoken by a troupe of brass and beat heavy circus musicians known as the “Crusty Suitcase Band”, led by Ben Walsh. Indeed, it’s not long before our new drunken friend starts hitting the drums himself and making some sweet music out of some DIY instruments, before they all climb onto the bike and back-flip on and off each others shoulders. But I digress…
DIY might be the best way to describe the aesthetic that the Scotch and Soda troupe aspire for. They want you to feel like you’re in a room they built with their two hands. Everything looks old, dilapidated. One would assume this is what an acrobatic circus of the 1800s might have felt like. And it’s in that respect that this show throws itself into another world entirely. While shows like Limbo and Empire (brilliant, by the way), are trying to inspire awe using never-before-seen tricks, Scotch and Soda take it back… right back… and see what they can do with a room full of boxes, flying trapezes, a few bottles of scotch and some very flexible and talented human beings.
What they create in this world is awe-inspiring. From some of the most unbelievable acrobatics that I’ve ever seen one man perform (“a magnificent man on the flying trapeze” indeed), to a balancing act on top of bottles and suitcases that perils as much on the side of “dangerous” as anything else, you’ll find it hard not to be impressed by the feats being displayed – if not nervous for the entire time. I for one felt more at ease when there were some mattresses out on display. It’s all just very clever, to put it politely, even if it doesn’t reach the same levels of awe that Limbo does. But it doesn’t need to. It delivers more with a broom and a bottle than most shows do with millions of dollars of production.
It should be mentioned, that unlike Limbo, this is a totally Australian production, and apparently they were quite a hit at Woodford over New Years. It features past stars of the festival, including performers from Cantina, Smoke & Mirrors, La Clique, Circa and Tom Tom Crew – so you know you’re in good, if not safe, hands. It’s a show worth seeing simply because of the old saying “they don’t make it like they used to…”. Well, with Scotch and Soda, they do. And like a fine scotch, it appears that the tricks and trades of the old days only get better with age.
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Scotch and Soda runs in the Circus Ronaldo Tent in Festival Village until January 26th, nightly (except Mondays) at 10.30pm. Tickets and more details are available here on the Sydney Festival website: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2014/All-Events/Scotch-and-Soda/. Male nudity is inclusive in the ticket. And make sure you use the restroom before you head in… because once you enter, it’s not possible to leave. Seriously though.
