Cantina DOUBLE REVIEW!

Two GRIND members saw Darwin Festival circus show Cantina last Friday at The Lighthouse. GRINDonline, known for pushing journalistic boundaries, is going to publish BOTH these reviews in a mega-super-DOUBLE-review of the awesome Cantina!

Cantina is a production by Strut & Fret Production House, based in Brisbane and Melbourne. They’re pulling off a whopping 8 SHOWS at the Lighthouse for the Darwin Festival! Book Tickets at www.darwinfestival.org.au!

Review by Felix

Last Night (Friday Night), I walked into Cantina not having any clue what it was about. So I can say, truthfully, that it was not what I expected. It was entertaining and art at the same time throughout the show. Never a dull moment.

As I said previously, I had no idea about anything, so, to say the least, I was shocked when a guy dropped his dacks in front of us. Apparently there was a warning, but I was never warned…

Everything that the cast presented, they did so with clever twists, and I can only recall once when they had to repeat a trick. Sadly I am not allowed to give away too much… what? I am!… oh… well I’m still not going to say anything because you guys should go and watch it for yourself. So take the word of some random article writer that you don’t actually know and GO!

In the end, Cantina was brilliant, pure genius, and I’m being 100% serious with this description – no exaggeration! SO GO SEE IT! YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED!

Review by Lang

What do you picture when you think of a cantina? I picture the cantina that Luke Skywalker walks into in Star Wars: A New Hope. Apparently what Strut & Fret Production House thinks of cantinas is that they are full of wild characters, daring acts, good music and a little bit of risqué adventure.

The show starts off with a tightrope suspended over audience’s heads. The shows performers combining dancing, acrobatics and acting, start out by walking the tightrope. A romantic tune plays in the background, a female ‘performer’ waits on a small ladder in the middle of the tightrope, her apparent lover walking the tightrope to greet her. Anyone sitting below the tightrope watches the young man walking the tightrope with unease, as he looks suitably unsteady and precarious, though they have nothing to worry about as he contorts himself, attempting the serenade the young lady.

What follows is a roaring, at times confronting, at times sad, happy and even a little bit dark, performance and interpretation of the lives and times of people at a Cantina. We watched its ability to clash lives, bring together and tear apart people and also make its performers act a little bit crazy.

The performances themselves are breathtaking, with feats of anatomical contortion, acts of great strength, some of skill and plenty of emotion. There is piano dancing, excellent live music, dances that are as much theatre as dance and so much more. Cantina will amaze, shock and if you’re paying any attention, involve you.

So if you’re looking for something a bit out there, a bit more confronting and physical than other shows at the festival, Cantina is a good choice. If you’re looking for something a bit calmer, relaxed or more chilled then maybe you should look elsewhere. All in all though, I have no qualms in recommending anyone to see this beautiful daring show.

Please note that Cantina is not for young children. While it is neither overt nor explicit, the show contains nudity and a little bit of violence.