The Diary of Alexander Flemming

Disclaimer: I’ve sponsored this show as part of The Bump In Project. I have not however, been involved at any stage of this production or been privy to more than a description of what the show was going to be.

There’s also probably some spoilers…

In 2001, I took part in an extra-curricular role at Swinburne Uni, where I was followspot operator for a graduate showcase at NICA (the National Institute of Circus Arts). It was at this time I first saw the circus skills of the people involved in The Diary of Alexander Flemming, by performance group Circus Catharsis. Seven years on and I can still remember a number of the acts performed at NICA with clarity, and so I was excited to see original Australian work being produced by them.

The Diary of Alexander Flemming is a one hour show presented at the Northcote Town Hall, another new venue for me. It's quite spacious considering, with a 4m high ceiling (yes, that's important to note) and a stage of about 6 or 7m wide and about 2 to 3m deep.

Last night was the preview.

The storyline focuses on Tim (Daniel Power) who is kicked out of home and must find a new place to live. Luckily, he comes across a room for let where he can move in immediately and a strange landlord (Tully Fedorowjtsch) with a cleaning fetish (think Monica from Friends but a bit more obsessive compulsive). Unfortunately for him, the house is haunted by two circus ghosts (played by Hazel Bock and Evan Whaite) and strange things start happening.

The space is set as a home, with a pianist upstage left, a Chinese pole downstage left, a bed and cupboard to stage right, a table and cupboard upstage centre.

Each of the four performers has a chance to show their particular circus talent. Power was undoubtedly my favourite, with his contortionist act developed into a hilarious take on the idea of making people do things through voodoo dolls. Bock showed her strength through a gender-role-swapping dance, where she provides the base for much of Bock and Whaite's acrobalancing (in which it was clear a wider stage would have been nice).

Whaite's own talent is Chinese pole, scaring most of the people in the audience with his gravity-defying climbing and acrobatics. Fedorowjtsch almost seems to be the odd one out, as his particular talent seemed to be showcased as a short comical interchange with Power, making breakfast using a combination of what I guess would be called juggling and clowning. I highly enjoyed watching him in 2001 (I believe he did something with poi... although my memory is hazy on that), and was disappointed his skills didn't seem to be showcased as much as the others (but at the same time, Fedorowjtsch has a great character and I loved watching him desperately trying to clean everything from his detergent bottle to his own gloves. He truly is delightful to watch in this character).

Ok, let's get the nit-picky stuff out of the way. My first issue was lighting. Having done lighting before with circus shows, I'm well aware that you need to be careful not to direct the light into the performer's eyes during their acts (it can cause them to become unbalanced). The space had some very basic lighting, with (what looked like) stubbie parcans and some profiles as front lighting. But that's all they had: no back lighting was used (and no space for side lighting), despite the fact that there were two stubbies hanging from the most upstage bar. I spent half the night wondering why no back lighting was used, as the stage and perfomance felt - to me - to be one dimensional and 'cold'. A little improvement in lighting design would make all the difference to the atmosphere of the show.

Second issue was costume and makeup. Fedorowjtsch had a simple costume of pjs, dressing gown, constant wearing of plastic gloves and slippers; Power was in jeans and tshirt. Bock was in a gorgeous red dress and pumps; Whaite was in black pants, black tshirt and red vest. Bock and Whaite matched in all but makeup - Whaite wore white paint with noticeably red cheek highlights, which in the dim blue light (a lighting state which only appeared during 'ghost' scenes) he looked particularly palid. A good look for a ghost, but Bock did not appear to have the same makeup design. It would have been a nice detail if they had matched each other in makeup, as Bock looked less ethereal and evil than Whaite.

Third issue: Fedorowjtsch, on introducing Power to the house, explains how the Chinese pole and juggling equipment is there (because the house is on an old circus ground). I was so waiting for some juggling, but was disappointed when there turned out to be none. On the one hand, I like it when things onstage don't go the way I expect them to, but on the other hand... it would have been cool to see some juggling.

Last issue... and this is a real nitpicker. The use of the haze machine at the end. It's only on for about 5 seconds, and I had to wonder whether it was really needed. My advice to the performers/crew is to set the machine off about 10 seconds ahead of the cue used last night, because haze machines always take a while to get going and by the time the haze went off, the circus ghosts had already disappeared behind stage. (Side note: I used a haze machine for 5 seconds at the end of a half hour puppetry show... so really I shouldn't talk *eyeroll*)

Now to the good stuff...

To highlight the performance, live music is provided by keyboardist Ben Fuller. He also provides some additional 'narration' of sorts. His music is not only apt to the mood, context and setting, but well played, and his character as narrator reminded me of Teller (of Penn and Teller). The addition of the music is an excellent choice, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Throughout the performance, it's quite clear that the group have a great sense of comedy. The acts are well-timed, punchlines and jokes are nicely set up and it's clear that there has been a lot of thought put into making the show comedic and fun. However, the show sinks a little under the weight of the seriousness of the storyline.

The difficulty with circus is to try to create a believable and flowing storyline around the acts. Many shows end up a bit like Mama Mia; at the end of the day, the musical is just a bunch of songs strung together on a tenuous plot. (I still find it odd that they managed to get Chiquitita in there) Circus Catharsis does a tremendous effort getting their acts to fit into an apt storyline, but at times I felt that they were restrained by it. They have a great idea - a haunted house controlled by circus ghosts - and some great characters, but I felt like they were scared of frightening audiences away by going all out silly. It's a pity, because most of the performance is spent hamming it up, and it is in that over-the-topness that gets them most of the laughs. Instead of trying to worry about the storyline or good acting, Circus Catharsis should be a little more relaxed and have fun - it's clear that circus is where their skills lie, and I felt like the story hampered them from truly enjoying themselves and going all out.

One of my favourite moments was when Power couldn't pronounce a word, and momentarily, both Power and Fedorowjtsch had the opportunity to show their effortless improvisation skills. In this moment, both were free from the rehearsed lines and let go of any nervousness or stress of having to remember cues, blocking or anything else that goes with self-produced shows.

Returning back to what I saw in 2001, I wanted more from Circus Catharsis than what was offered in The Diary of Alexander Flemming: the group has more talent than what they showed last night. The Diary of Alexander Flemming was good, and with a little more polish and a lot less nervousness, it could really rock.

The really good stuff: if you want to see a truly flexible body, Power's contortionism is amazing. No wonder he's worked with Cirque du Soleil! An excellent example of human puppetry! Whaite's extraordinary pole skills - his fearlessness on a 4metre high pole will scare everyone. Additionally, his own gender-bending character is absolutely hilarious. Fedorowjtsch's character and clowning is a delight to watch, and Bock's strength in acrobalance is a feat to be admired.

The audience lapped up the circus acts and had a lot of laughs. ... As with puppetry, circus is one of those art forms where it's ok, nay, desired, to leave the audience wanting more. Walking out of The Diary of Alexander Flemming I certainly wanted more.

More info about the show and Circus Catharsis here. (Read the other review of the show involved in the project)