Circus, drag, burlesque, comedy, and, most of all, murder. Welcome to the macabre world of Party Ghost at Assembly Checkpoint. It’s an afternoon dedicated to all things death and death-defying, with an ending that is, unlike death (presumably), incredibly satisfying.
The show is performed by Olivia Porter and Jarred Dewey, with the help of an additional ghost wandering the audience for added spook. The two performers are fantastic, their physical movement being the strongest I have seen thus far in the fringe. The show starts with an enjoyably over-the-top aerial act by Jarred playing a widow besieged by despair. What follows are several sections of characters gifting presents to one another only to then kill them, interspersed with various impressive circus acts.
The show is incredibly thematically consistent – the dark comedy, the outfits, the references to key horror touchstones. However, a theme is not itself substance, and this is felt in multiple parts of the show. The unwrapping of a present by an audience member and the drag act that follows are notable lulls. The second murder sequence involves a routine around a chair, which again feels more like the first draft of a section that never quite heightens. It would have been entertaining for the characters to play around with the chair more, perhaps using that as the eventual murder weapon.
These weak points are a shame, as it’s clear to see talent is abundant in this show. All the acrobatics are delightful, the juggling act is the slickest on the scene while also being a wonder musicality wise, and the first gift-then-murder sequence produced multiple genuinely shocked gasps from the audience.
Dark humour is at the heart of this genre-bending homage to the darker things in life, inviting the audience to bask in the grotesque guilt free. While the show leaves us wanting for more circus and acrobatics, the end sequence is so satisfying, it makes you forget what hasn’t come before.
