Fuego Carnal: Circus Skills Made With Fire, Artistry And Passion – Adelaide Fringe Review

Gluttony – Empyrean, Sun 18 Feb. [CIRCUS AND PHYSICAL THEATRE – AUS/UK/POL/NLD] Fire, artistry and passion combine in Fuego Carnal to create a circus of death-defying tricks. The performance follows a familiar formula of stunts interspersed with comedy and audience participation. All the stunts feature fire and range from sword swallowing to trapeze, archery to contortion, fire twirling to flaming bagpipes. Yes, you read that right. Each of the artists has taken their tricks somewhere new and original, and it’s difficult to pick a highlight. The sword swallowing is cringe-worthy and had plenty of people covering their eyes. The contortionist/archer was spectacular and impressive. The climax of the show came with the Ice Queen, who ice skated on a miniature rink on stage and then combined skating with fire and trapeze. Thank goodness she wound her very long hair up for that! The show is drawn together by the husband and wife team of Jacob and Sophie McGrath, who have been performing together for 18 years. Sophie is great fun as the whip-wielding MC, and Jacob is the backbone of the performance. Their passion for innovation and pushing the envelope is evident in Fuego Carnal, which is a show that did not rest on its laurels after winning audiences over worldwide. Disappointingly, the tent (which is impressive and was designed and built specially to facilitate the tricks) is positioned too close to another tent in the much-expanded Gluttony, and the noise from the neighbouring performance intruded on the space on a few occasions. Fortunately, much of Fuego Carnal is set to an exhilarating and well-chosen soundtrack, which drowned out the neighbours more often than not. Fuego Carnal will satisfy lovers of contemporary high-risk circus and pyromaniacs looking for a hot night out. 4 stars Lynette Washington Fuego Carnal continues at Gluttony – Empyrean from 8.20pm until Sat 17 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. Image courtesy of Peter Papaioannou #ADLfringe