Fright or Flight

Our pupils dilate 
Our awareness intensifies 
Our sight sharpens 
Our impulses quicken 
Our perception of pain diminishes 
We become prepared – physically and psychologically for…
Fright or Flight

Winner of the Best Circus and Physical Theatre at the Adelaide Fringe Festival this year, Fright or Flight was an eclectic mix of physical theatre, circus, clowning, and comedy.

The blind man’s bluff segment was especially amusing and a great opener to the show, with the slapstick comedy being reminiscent of a female version of Larry, Curly, and Mo.

Well rehearsed with a high level of difficulty, it was obvious the girls were very skilled in their discipline, although first night jitters did spoil one of the tricks. But like true professionals, it did not phase them and they kept calm and carried on.

The first half was fun and charming and well developed with a bird theme running throughout to loosely tie all the segments together. However, it seemed they ran out of time in development with the second half, as it came across a bit chaotic, random and a bit of a time filler. The Burlesque section in particular seemed a little out of place, especially when the costuming remained into the next act, which seemed like it needed a more appropriate costume change. Having said that, I think chaos and absurdism was part of the plan.

Not afraid to make a mess, the self-directed, self-devised company, 3 is a Crowd (Rockie Stone, Bianca Mackail and Olivia Porter) trashed the Judith Wright Centre by end of the night with eggs, feathers, and other bird paraphernalia including a stash of yellow gloves. And what a glorious mess; the kind you look upon the day after a party and know that the night before, even though you don’t remember half of it, was a good one.

For a glimpse of the chaotic circus wonder, view their youtube clip

Duration: 60 mins, no interval