A dark, seductive night at the circus

A dark, seductive night at the circus

WHEN Tim Lawson was asked what aspect of his circus show Le Noir The Dark Side of Cirque would appeal to gay audiences the most, his response was simple.

“I would say the beauty of the cast without doubt,” said the executive producer, who is gay himself.

“Basically, in Le Noir the artists are so incredibly beautiful and you can see every single muscle of theirs move and it’s beautiful to watch.

“The actors are very, very seductive in their nature, and it appeals to all demographics — it’s great for everybody who likes eye candy.”

Lawson was speaking to the Star Observer ahead of the show’s opening in Sydney on March 19, following sell-out seasons in Brisbane and Perth and a world tour prior to that.

The show stars award-winning athletes and many former acrobats of Cirque du Soleil, and is performed on a custom-built circular stage giving a 360-degree view of the performance.

Lawson said Le Noir stays true to the “cirque” ideals of creating jaw-dropping spectacles, such as the the Colombian Wheel of Death, which sees two acrobats perform high-risk feats atop and inside a pair of spinning wheels rotating high above the stage.

The show will also feature an act never before seen in Australia: The Aerial Cradle. Performed by Chilly and Fly, a duo that possesses super-human spatial awareness which allows them to traverse the boundaries of flight — hand to hand, feet to feet.

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Producer Simon Painter explained the concept behind Le Noir.

“[The concept] was to take the very best of the best cirque performers in the world and rather than create a production in a huge auditorium or arena, produce an intimate style show where the audience is literally inches from the action on stage,” he said.

“Part of the concept is to make the audience experience the show rather than just watch it and a number of sophisticated special effects are employed to make this possible.”

Lawson echoed Painter’s sentiments.

“I’ve never had the privilege of working with such talented artists,” he said.

“There is no moment when your attention is not captivated on what’s happening on stage.”

Le Noir opens at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on March 19 for a two-week season before seasons in Melbourne’s Arts Centre in April, followed by seasons at the Adelaide Festival Centre and Canberra Theatre Centre. Details and tickets: cirquelenoir.com

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**This article was first published in the April edition of the Star Observer, which is available to read in digital flip-book format. To obtain a physical copy, click here to find out where you can grab one in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and select regional/coastal areas.

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