There is a line between human and animal, between madness and sanity, between logic and dream. We invite you to step over this line, and go Beyond. Beyond is warm, surreal and unexpectedly moving. Blending dynamic circus acts like trapeze and Chinese pole with cheeky feats of strength and multiple bunny heads, set to a bewitching mix of show tunes, ballads and electronica, this creation delights and enchants. Beyond is set on multiple stages within stages β small red-curtained worlds that offer a glimpse of this rich and empathetic world.
Maybe we are in a cabaret, a zoo, an asylum or a stage. Seven artists have gathered here tonight to express their inner selves and to connect with each other and the audience. Over the course of Beyond we meet the artists, marvel at their skills, enter their personalities and emerge into a strangely beautiful and curiously tender world. The show was described to me by artistic director Yaron Lifschitz as a journey into the world of fantasy through a series of rabbit holes, al la Alice in Wonderland, and he and his performers have certainly created an alternate reality on stage.
The animal heads and costumes are quizzical and, as a device, they work to help explore the premise of the show, the fine line between humans and animals, or our animal selves. Was it the fantasy elements? The music? It certainly had a lot to do with the acrobatic feats β they are often mind-boggling, sometimes muscular, sometimes lyrical, sometimes just plain funny.
This show has played in Berlin and England before coming back for a hometown premiere. They loved it in Europe and you can see why. Choosing good music helps and it was wonderful to hear Nat King Cole and Andy Williams as well as some of the edger stuff. And of course after their long season in Berlin there had to be a Nick Cave number and there is, a cover of The Ship Song. The show is very playful with elements of clowning as well as the cabaret slideshow and acrobatic elements.
It encourages and enables flights of fancy and gives me, well, a bit of a holiday from myself in the process. The performers themselves are gobsmacking good with everything from the sideshow tricks to the trapeze and Chinese Pole displays. Her contortionism is mind-bending.
