Presented by Circle of Eleven
@ The Vagabond – Garden of Unearthly Delights
SATURDAY 10 March (until March 18)

I’m not a fan of modern dance by any means but SOAP is the most amazing show I have seen to date. The impression it left on me was profound, and I doubt that mere words can convey just how powerful the experience was.

I was disappointed at first when I found out the majority of the show wasn’t performed underwater as the advertisements portrayed it, but within minutes I had forgotten about that and was enthralled in the mix of comedy, athleticism and emotional intensity made by not much more than a half-dozen bath tubs and some truly inspirational dancers.

To be honest, I was so caught up in and swept away by the show that I can’t remember the exact when and where of what happened. A mix of opera, ballet, modern dance and slapstick comedy, each act differed from the last, changing from comical and cute to daring acts of physical strength and dexterity to powerfully silent narratives of love, passion and lust. Soap never lingered long enough to become boring, and each act surpassed the previous one. Bodies soared through the air borne on trapeze ropes and muscles twisted and contorted in truly awesome physical feats.

When the water filled tubs did appear I was glad they had been saved for the final third of the show, letting the tension build up to its watery finale, a mind blowing spectacle that looked as if it could end on disaster at any second. The water itself took on the form of another dancer, arcing and falling perfectly in time.

Soap is a difficult show to review conventionally, as you really can’t get across just how much of an impression it leaves on you, mentally and emotionally. Berlin-based directors Markus Pabst and Maximilian Rambaek more than live up to the hype as a breathtakingly creative duo. Equal parts ingenious and exciting, Soap is one of the best, if not the best show on at the Adelaide Fringe in 2012.