Wednesday 6 December, 2023. An international cast of performers will roll into town to kick-off rehearsals for the Opera House’s summer spectacle, Circus 1903. After a global tour with sell out seasons in Los Angeles, New York, a Las Vegas residency and on London’s West End, this marvellous show returns to the Concert Hall stage for a limited run from 21-29 December.
Hailing from across the globe, 22 performers will showcase the death-defying feats, human endeavour, grandeur and timeless appeal of the circus. With a line-up that includes strongmen, a mindboggling contortionist, trapeze and hair hang acts that demonstrate a mastery of the air, Circus 1903 brings the thrill of the Golden Age of circus back to the stage.
Comedian and award-winning magician David Williamson (USA) returns as ringmaster, Willy Whipsnade. Williamson has enthralled audiences around the world, including as a special guest on American’s Got Talent, with his hilarious audience interaction, wicked sense of humour and unexpected magical delights.
As the master of ceremony, Williamson will introduce the audience to his fellow performers, including:
- Elena Suarez Pariente (Spain), otherwise known as Lucky Moon, who will perform aerial artistry suspended above the crowd with nothing but her hair. A daring performer since the age of three, Elena also appeared as the original ballerina in Cirque Du Soleil’s Volta.
- Alexey Mruz (Ukraine) is a second-generation circus artist with 15 years’ experience as a Rola Bola performer. Balancing on a teetering tower of unusual objects, The Bold Balancer, assisted by Yuliya Novikova, will have onlookers on the edge of their seats.
- Francois Borie (France) has been performing for over 20 years and has been with Circus 1903 since its inception in 2016. As The Great Gaston, Francois will bring an ever-increasing number of pieces into his act, juggling faster and faster to dazzle audiences.
- Meanwhile the remarkable African elephant puppets, Queenie and her adorable calf Peanut, will be brought to life by the unique talents of skilled puppeteers Chris Milford, James Donovan Smith, Mikey Brett and Nyron Levy – and Significant Object, the team behind the award-winning War Horse.
Circus 1903 also features contortionist Mekdes Kebede, The Elastic Dislocationist (Ethiopia); artistic cycling champion David Schnabel, The Wizard of the Wheels (Germany); teeterboard legends Oskar Norin, Anton Persson and Karl Wiberg, The Daring Desafios (Sweden); strongmen Yani Stoyanov and Valeri Tsvetkov, Les Incredibles (Bulgaria); fearless trapeze duo Yoann Benhamou and Emiline Goavec, The Perilous Perigos (France); and finally Moges Admasu and Wubetie Kebede as The Remarkable Risleys (Ethiopia) who star in the Icarian Games, an ancient circus act rarely seen today.
Circus 1903 will also appear at Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre, from 4-14 January 2024.
