Lyric Theatre, APA
Today to Sept 30, 8pm; weekend matinees, 2.30pm
Since forming two decades ago, Circus Oz has made it its mission to deliver more than just escapist fun. The 11-member troupe also wants to rouse the audience's awareness of what's going on around them by exploring a spectrum of social and political issues through its daredevil acts. Hong Kong will get a chance to see the troupe in action in its best-selling show, Laughing at Gravity, which kicks off at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts tonight.
Headed by artistic director Mike Finch, the show features death-defying stunts and circus classics with a twist. One double-act spectacle - a flying trapeze-turned-schoolkid-ruckus and a contortionist submersed in a tank of pink lemonade - mixes zany humour and social commentary.
Cocky ring mistress Christa Hughes, for instance, takes a jab at society's absurd standards of beauty and obsession with dieting in her Life is a Bikini Parade and Pink Lemonade acts. 'Everyone looks the same. It's boring ... I joined [the circus] because we have similar social agendas,' says the former rock'n'roll lead singer. Feminine-looking 'Strongwoman' Mel Fyfe concurs: 'I used to be a chorus girl and had to be the same size all the time ... Now I can do and eat anything I want ... As long as you are fit and healthy, you can be whatever size you want.'
While Hughes focuses on her singing, the rest of the performers are all multi-skilled. For instance, musical director John O' Hagan's favourite Circus Oz moment is being 'pursued' by a double bass - in mid air. 'It comes naturally for me. I used to be a theatrical performer before I joined Circus Oz,' he says of the wire act. He adds that while 95 per cent of the exhilarating music was originally composed by him, other tunes are adapted from classical and modern melodies, all of which spices up the action. 'We work closely with the crew because there's a lot of improvisation involved,' he says.