‘Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Assembly Rooms Music Hall, Venue 20 – until 28th August 2022
Reviewed by Rachel Farrier
3***
Throughout this show, the troop of incredibly talented acrobats were walking the tightrope between providing a narrative, or at least establishing some central themes, whilst also demonstrating their love of daring aerobic feats performed to well-chosen musical numbers. I struggled to follow the narrative arc but I grasped that a group of contestants were battling it out for the approval and occasional gifts of an aloof judge. Their acts ranged from poorly performed Elvis numbers to rap battles. There was much humour to enjoy in this – in particular a hilarious moment where the performers were thrown into a frenzied state, after their bored looking matriarch finally decides to throw them a bone. Well not a bone actually, a banana. They go so wild over that it is decided a dance battle must occur to decide who should keep it.
There was also a prevalent theme of loss. The section in which the troop all recall who they miss the most in life – listing mums and dads and cats and dogs- indulges in some fuzzy and nostalgic memories before cutting back to the regular jawa droppinh programming of double backflips and other acrobatics.
As for the other draw of the show – the stunts – all I can say was that I was surprised how well the good vibes of old do-wop numbers such as the gorgeous, “You and Me” by Penny and the Quartets went with the brief feeling of panic that catches you when a woman who can’t weigh more than 60 kg soaking wet is thrown 15 feet into the air by her brawny colleague. Then you remember a second later that this is what they do for a living, and clap and cheer in relief, with the rest of the crowd.