Theatre Review: Duck Pond

Duck Pond

Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa ensemble

Director & Stage Designer Yaron Lifschitz

Composer & Sound Designer Jethro Woodward

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Photo credit Daniel Boud

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP

What would you call a humorous reimagining of the ballet Swan Lake? Duck Pond of course. We all know the story of the ugly duckling transforming into the graceful swan through one of the most produced ballets in history, along with Pygmalion, My Fair Lady and Hans Christian Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling.

The storyline is a vehicle for bringing the amazing talents of the fourteen performers and the other creatives into a cohesive story that involves sexual preferences and the empowerment of women.

The high energy show incorporates acrobatics, very high-level circus skills (indicated by the production company’s name, Circa), gymnastics, ballet, modern dance, Peking Opera, slapstick, burlesque and even some elements of pro-wrestling and martial arts There are engaging forms, shapes and intertwining of bodies. When wearing the white outfits, one of the cast members either wore a codpiece in his costume or he was bragging.

Highlights include Asha Colless’ hoop routine, the Chinese Pole and the Aerial Silks.

The ugly ducking character is performed by Maya Davies who has more air time than anyone else I’ve seen; not on radio, television or on stage, but actually in mid-air. When everyone else was in glittering black, Davies entered wearing a Shakespearean costume that included a ruff collar. The outfit and some of her facial expressions reminded me of Flacco in the Doug Anthony All Stars.

Jethro Woodward’s musical backing is sometimes subtle, sometimes heavier-handed, and always enhances the mood of the action.

When the cast bumped out the set in front of the audience, it looked like the show was over, but wait, there was more.

Watching Duck Pond at the Sydney Opera House took my mind back decades to the Sydney Dance Company when the SDC was innovative and entertaining.

Circa’s seventy-five minute, no intermission, feel-good show has a very short run, so book as soon as you can.

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