After winning the Best Circus and Physical Theatre Award at this year’s Adelaide Fringe, the side-splitting Elixir will come to the Underbelly Festival Southbank this June. The Melbourne-based Head First Acrobats return to the UK following their sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2017 with their unique combination of heart-stopping acrobatics and impeccable slapstick routines.
When three gleefully inept scientists attempt to produce the Elixir of Life, they decide the best test subjects are themselves and chaos erupts in the laboratory. After downing their test-tube concoctions, the scientists begin to test their superhuman strength with increasing reckless feats of daring. When unfortunate side-effects begin to manifest, they apply themselves to answering the Big Questions, such as: do zombies bounce?
Subversive and utterly hilarious, Elixir is also a piece of extraordinary acrobatic ability. Tumbling on the spinning Cyr wheel, handstanding on tottering ladders, balancing on their heads on a swinging trapeze, the Head First Acrobats’ skill will take your breath away and set your pulse racing.
Co-creator Cal Harris comments, “We wanted to create a late-night production different to the current circus shows for people who just want to be entertained. We were first inspired by a movie about the zombie apocalypse and we’ve been developing Elixir over the past few years, adjusting it with every performance. Now we have something that feels less like a contemporary arts piece and more like a comedy action movie.”
Elixir is at Underbelly Festival Southbank 12th – 23rd June 2018.
