ASIA TOPA
ONE BEAUTIFUL THING ★★★
Circa
Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne
Until February 19
In One Beautiful Thing, Circa combines contemporary circus with a performance of mallakhamb by six Indian acrobats. Mallakhamb, a 12th century Indian sporting discipline, features vertical poles and ropes that the performers scale to demonstrate strength, balance and physical dexterity. The intention of this work to juxtapose two very different performance styles is a strong one, and one that reflects the spirit of Asia TOPA's international collaborative crux.
The problem with director Yaron Lifschitz's ambitious vision is that it fails to fully integrate the distinct parts of the performance, and its very differently trained performers, in a way that feels resolved, even in sections of the piece where the company rolls, runs and tumbles in unison. Nor does the work fully take advantage of the distinct differences between the art forms – the dynamic thrust, quick pacing and head-first dives down the length of the pole that makes mallakhamb so exciting to watch, with Circa's familiar rhythm of rapid movement sequences caught between clear moments of suspension.
It is hard to shake the sense that perhaps each group did the bulk of their rehearsing separately. The piecemeal feel of One Beautiful Thing in its dramaturgy and musical choices is a notable weakness, and a missed opportunity to deeply explore how these art forms might inspire and influence one another in a new context.
Despite this, the vertical pole work by the Indian performers is rarely seen here in Australia, and there is something fascinating about the way the performers flip onto and cling to the apparatus. There is a sense that history and culture is alive through this ancient sporting art form.
There are also some terrific performances across all three acts, such as the duo balancing and tumbling work, and pianist Utsav Lal's live musical accompaniment in the second act offers a strong musical grounding.