Review by Emily Smith
DEADSET by YUCK Circus is enough to make you feel as patriotic as a plate of fairy bread at a BBQ.
The all-female circus team had the Gold Digger tent at FRINGE’s Pleasure Garden in stitches at their Aussie humour, and in awe of their strength and acrobatic talents. The girls showed off their precision roller-skating, high-stakes skipping, and aerial acrobatics all with hilarious manners and unforgettable facial contortions.
MC Ella had a gruffly charming banter with the audience (not a lot of participation required beyond uncontrollable laughter, you can relax) and carried her larrikin sense of humour in every step, shrug, and hip thrust. With a true-blue Aussie drawl she pulls off a tradie-themed strip show better than Magic Mike himself could. Her tearaway hi-vis and innovative use of WD-40 turned the heads of a lot of the male audience with what I was told was a bewildering allure worthy of Mulan’s gender-bending seduction.
Not a single YUCK trick goes without a comedic twist, such as the incredible talent of Jess (who also wowed us on the roller-skates) hanging from the ceiling and flying across the audience with breathtaking strength, all the while flapping, squawking, and strutting as a bin chicken. At no point does she slip into the more traditionally feminine object of admiration, every look thrown to the audience is full of gleeful buffoonery, as it should be.
Whether they’re showing their devotion to the nation’s favourite yeasty spread, creating a dramatic tribute to Australian Idol’s legacy of cultural upheaval, or reliving every primary school girl’s competitive netball days, YUCK Circus are full of surprises and have put on a ripper show.
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