Featured image – Aerial artist Stephen Williams.
It’s big. It’s bright. It’s loud. Dancing, drums, disco music and acrobatics are delivered passionately, precisely and with lots of fun.
Musical director, Joe Accaria, opens the show as drummer and DJ from an elevated position above the stage. The music and lights are pumping as a young man enters the stage and is slightly overwhelmed by the feverish nightclub scene.
Tom Oliver plays the young man at the centre of the simple narrative. Initially overwhelmed, as he is exposed to wild scenes of abandon, glamour, singing and dancing he gradually moves towards his disco enlightenment.
VELVET includes three spectacular acrobats, aerial artists Stephen Williams and Emma Goh, and handstand master Mirko Köckenberger. They eacxh display extraordinary skills. Their strength, skill and execution are simply breathtaking.
Craig Reid’s playful hula-hoop performance is the comedic highlight of the show. He conveys an incredible amount of humour with a cheeky grin, a sly smirk, ridiculous costumes and fantastic hula-hoop routine.
Dancers and singers Kaylah Attard and Rechelle Mansour are a constant and glamorous presence in the show and display incredible energy throughout the performance.
The illustrious Marcia Hines’ entrance is met with reverential awe by an excited and appreciative audience. Generally, musical director Joe Accaria has updated the disco music to give it a modern sound but Marcia Hines brings a dash of disco authenticity to the performance. Her singing is one of many highlights in the show.
The show has been directed by Craig Ilott and is his loving tribute to this dance and sound phenomena that was the seventies. The audience shared in his enthusiasm.
Ilott has been more than ably supported by choreographer Lucas Newland, lighting designer Matthew Marshall and set and costume designer, James Browne.
VELVET : A DIVINE DISCOTHEQUE CIRCUS is recommended for all lovers of disco. The show opened in Sydney at the Roslyn Packer Theatre on Thursday 27th July and is playing until 20th August before continuing on to New Zealand.