Cabaret
By Flabbergast Theatre
Casa Mondo
30th January
by Michael Nield

Every now and then a show arrives in Perth that is  breathtakingly superb. Boris & Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure is one of those shows. Join these Balkan brothers as they land in Perth for the first time and embark on a 19th century music hall inspired extravaganza.

The dexterity of these characters is truly amazing. Watch (and participate) as Boris and Sergey complete death defying feats, perform beautiful dance numbers, and conspire to swindle their captive audience. The raw charisma of these brothers is astounding, especially considering they come in at only one foot tall and are fully clad in leather.

Six adults in carnival garb manipulating two small puppets in a confined space sounds like a trainwreck waiting to happen. However, through all the high speed chases, dance routines, free falling and kung fu fighting, these masters of their craft are in total control. The synchronicity and poetry of motion is utterly enthralling; the wry humour and quick reactions of both teams make for hilarious moments of improvised  mid-action dialogue that truly brings these puppets to life.

Show highlights include: a fantastic rendition of ‘Wuthering Heights’, a hilarious interpretation of Hamlet, and a gaudy and altogether chaotic game of poker. A narrative emerges in the second half of the show and these two bickering brothers are united in their quest for survival; surely it cannot last?

With something for everyone, Boris & Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure is at times charming, dirty, clever, absurd, and all together wonderful. If you see only one show at Fringe this year see a Flabbergast Theatre show; they deserve it and so do you.

Boris & Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure has one more show tonight (31st January).

Flabbergast Theatre will also be performing Tatterdemalion from Jan 31st – Feb 8th. Tickets are available here.