Revolver
Sammy's
October 5, 2012
If you ever wondered what it might have been like to be an extra on the set of classic sci-fi film Bladerunner, get yourself to Revolver at Sammy's tonight.
Fuse Circus' mildly raunchy burlesque is an offbeat mix of whacky other-worldliness and impressive real-world physical skills, presented on a revolving stage the size of a spa pool.
The revolver who cranks the set and literally keeps the performances moving also cranks out some hot tunes to set the scenes as the four athletic performers show us what they are made of.
In the case of Dirty the dancing dog, all four of her limbs appear to be made of rubber, while the two guys seem to be hewn from granite, and Sister Mary, well, Sister Mary is most attractively human, but can defy the laws of physics.
Her act on the slack rope was a highlight for me, closely followed by the hunky human gyroscope - two memorable performances that made much of the rest of the show look easy.
It's not, of course, and the occasional glimpse of trembling muscles and straining sinews showed that the clowning around from these Mad Max clones is a casual front for performers at the top of their game.
The show, on a superb set reminiscent of Beyond the Thunderdome, is rough around the edges. People drop things, and not every trick goes right.
No matter. It all adds to the immediacy, and the feeling that the gods and goddesses who appear in the last act are actually human after all.
They're having fun, and so was last night's packed audience, at least until participation time, when hearts only restarted after volunteers had been coerced on to the stage.
Revolver is like having a nightclub and a circus in your living room, with the associated risk that you might get sucked in to the show.
It's worth that risk.
- Nigel Zega
