DUCK POND

I've seen many variations on a Swan Lake theme but until this week, I haven't seen circus performers tell the story. Circa, the brilliant Brisbane-based physical theatre company, was in town for a minute and I was lucky enought to get tickets before the show sold out. The production is charmingly called Duck Pond. 

What makes it so effective is that it contains all the elements of contemporary circus that you expect - aerial silks, hula hoops, acrobatics, clowning, balancing, diabolo - but presented within a story telling context that makes everything feel fresh and new. Whether it's the burlesque black swan or the row of quacking ducks, the pratfalls of the prince or the ugly duckling making her way to the top of the pyramid, it was all engaging. The music, composed by Jethro Woodward, was a series of brilliant riffs on Tchiakovksy's original score. Once again, Circa's artistic director Yaron Lifschitz has shown that he is an director of international standing.

My only disappointment came towards the end. The story was complete. The lovers wandered off (in a subversive way) into the sunset. And suddenly the performers were deconstructing the set and doing some other bits and bobs. All the bits and all the bobs were entertaining but it felt as if they should have been integrated into the work of the duckling and her pond. Still, a minor criticism of an entertaining show.