Laura Olivia Tremaine
A good enough MC will make you feel like you are part of a group of friends, a great MC will convince you to follow them out of the venue and onto the streets. This was the vibe we reached on the opening night of SMASHED- The Nightcap at the gorgeous new Spiegeltent in Aotea Square.
Calling the tent gorgeous leaves us with a small range of words to go up the scale of fabulousness if we want to describe the performers involved in this show. I will probably have to invent some new ones.
MC Victoria Falconer has a delicious presence, a well-trained voice, and many musical talents that make you feel in good hands from the first original song. The SMASHED crew had spent the fifteen minutes that took the tent to fill to the brim with people by mingling in the crowd and finding small bits of comedic moments. By the time the show started, we’ve had a sneak peek at what is to come. We start putting pieces together: there is a live band, there are strong and flexible creatures, and there is no holding back when it comes to costumes.
The show develops with no stops. From an aerial number to hoops to drag to a strip number with transitions that, like traditional circus, involve all the performers at different times. Falconer engages with the audience throughout the night, getting us excited and rowdy. We trust her so much that we close our eyes, get on our feet and dance when the performance asks for it. And of course, like traditional circus, clown-esque interventions contrast the prowess of acrobatic acts, all with the attentive aid of an on-their-toes backstage crew that work around keeping everyone safe after spilled drinks, water showers and even fire. The audience constantly has something to be delighted by, amused by or even pleasantly caught off-guard with. And if that already seems like a lot of fun, we were even treated to a musical-quiz-medley presented by the surprise local guest of the night (yes, one surprise local guest every night).
We feel like we can almost touch the stars with the presence of tv celebrity Elektra Shock, she regales us with her on-brand humour and because we are allowed to take pictures, we can go back home saying we brought back a token from the beloved shows through which she rocketed to stardom.
The live band brings the show to the next level. Falconer’s host work is backed and enhanced by four other musicians that play almost non-stop for one and a half hours. The musical highlight must be when all of them leave their main instruments to bring out five accordions and make the audience jump (and pump) to a rendition of Van Halen’s “Jump”. The rest of the cast joins the band with small or funny instruments in the final act, again showing us that they are more than a few artists put together, and there is even energy for a little choreography.
We follow them out into the street, and we would follow them on tour if we didn’t have to work tomorrow. SMASHED- The Nightcap is on until Sunday 23rd March, more info here.
MC Victoria Falconer has a delicious presence, a well-trained voice, and many musical talents that make you feel in good hands from the first original song. The SMASHED crew had spent the fifteen minutes that took the tent to fill to the brim with people by mingling in the crowd and finding small bits of comedic moments. By the time the show started, we’ve had a sneak peek at what is to come. We start putting pieces together: there is a live band, there are strong and flexible creatures, and there is no holding back when it comes to costumes.
The show develops with no stops. From an aerial number to hoops to drag to a strip number with transitions that, like traditional circus, involve all the performers at different times. Falconer engages with the audience throughout the night, getting us excited and rowdy. We trust her so much that we close our eyes, get on our feet and dance when the performance asks for it. And of course, like traditional circus, clown-esque interventions contrast the prowess of acrobatic acts, all with the attentive aid of an on-their-toes backstage crew that work around keeping everyone safe after spilled drinks, water showers and even fire. The audience constantly has something to be delighted by, amused by or even pleasantly caught off-guard with. And if that already seems like a lot of fun, we were even treated to a musical-quiz-medley presented by the surprise local guest of the night (yes, one surprise local guest every night).
We feel like we can almost touch the stars with the presence of tv celebrity Elektra Shock, she regales us with her on-brand humour and because we are allowed to take pictures, we can go back home saying we brought back a token from the beloved shows through which she rocketed to stardom.
The live band brings the show to the next level. Falconer’s host work is backed and enhanced by four other musicians that play almost non-stop for one and a half hours. The musical highlight must be when all of them leave their main instruments to bring out five accordions and make the audience jump (and pump) to a rendition of Van Halen’s “Jump”. The rest of the cast joins the band with small or funny instruments in the final act, again showing us that they are more than a few artists put together, and there is even energy for a little choreography.
We follow them out into the street, and we would follow them on tour if we didn’t have to work tomorrow. SMASHED- The Nightcap is on until Sunday 23rd March, more info here.