From the creators of Empire, Absinthe is an old-fashioned adults-only cabaret, comprising circus, comedy, burlesque and vaudeville, with interludes from grotesque, mustachioed host The Gazillionaire. Staged in the Spiegeltent, situated on the Crown rooftop, Absinthe features a sequence of separate performances. However, don’t let the variety show element fool you into thinking the creators have skimped on quality.
“It’s world class,” says one half of the Duo Straps act, Maika Isogawa. “[All the performers are] really spectacular acrobats. It’s sexy, it’s new; it’s an hour and a half of continuous entertainment. You will laugh, you will be amazed.”
Given that Isogawa’s a cast member, her objectivity is somewhat questionable. After all, she’s probably so immersed in the world of Absinthe that life outside of the show now appears rather innocuous. Still, it’s worth noting that, while Absinthe started in Las Vegas in 2006, Isogawa only came on board for this Australian tour. Additionally, prior to joining Absinthe she spent eight years training at Minnesota’s esteemed Circus Juventas School.
“[Absinthe] is really unlike any circus show I’ve ever seen,” she says. “From my point of view, I’ve seen a lot of circus shows, and this has been the best show I’ve ever seen.”
Jacob Oberman, another Circus Juventas alumnus, completes the Duo Straps act. Isogawa and Oberman have collaborated previously, but not quite in this capacity. “We work well together, but we had never done this act together before this job,” she says. “[We] trained with the current straps duo that is in the Las Vegas show for a month. We’re taking someone else’s routine and adding our own personal flair. Because we are younger and we’re traveling, rather than staying in Las Vegas, it’s fine to mesh our own style with their current act.”
So what exactly does their act involve? Duo Straps is basically an aerial ballet, which requires the performers to defy gravity, more or less. “It’s two seatbelt-like straps hanging from the ceiling and we fly and spin into the air,” Isogawa says. “There’s a lot of [me] hanging from my partner, there’s a lot of trust involved. I think the point of the act is to make it seem so effortless that you’re more paying attention to the story that we’re telling, rather than the difficulty of the acrobatics.
“The moves have been choreographed,” she adds. “But of course with any live performance things can change. That’s just part of the fun – to be able to adapt to little things or to change the whole act to make it work for the night.”
The execution of such tasks requires a high level of physical fitness and acute control over one’s limbs. Otherwise, it could very easily result in bodily devastation: “It’s still a dangerous act for anybody, because you are hanging in the air quite high,” Isogawa says. “But I think we’ve trained enough and we’re confident with the act that we can focus more on the connection between us for the performance, rather than the technical side.”
All previous visitors to the Spiegeltent will know it’s not a particularly spacious arena. The tent’s compact size has led to the development of a fairly unique straps performance. “The front row can reach out and touch the stage without getting out of their seats,” Isogawa says. “We have to be aware at all times, we have to be careful not to kick anybody in the face, because they really are that close to you. You can make eye contact with the person sitting in the front row. It really changes the way you perform. It’s more like you’re giving someone a performance rather than performing to an audience.”
It’s safe to say that Absinthe is a shamelessly profane adventure, which holds nothing back when it comes to lurid sexuality. However, in this respect, Duo Straps is something of an anomaly. “It’s supposed to be more of a love story,” Isogawa says, “[There’s] more of a romantic suggestiveness, rather than a racy one. Most of the show has more of a sexy feel, but ours has more of an intimate feeling.”
Isogawa’s acrobatic expertise isn’t her only impressive talent. Before joining Absinthe, she’d actually just commenced a science and engineering degree at a pretty darn elite university.
“I just started at Stanford University before I came here,” she says. “I graduated high school and went straight to Stanford and then I got the phone call three months in and had to leave. I hope to go back to finish that degree, but right now I’m just focused on having a great experience here.
“[The cast of Absinthe] feels like quite a happy family. All of us like to work out during the day. It’s not excessive, but it’s enough to keep our bodies ready for the performance for the night. Other than that, we do have time to explore the beautiful city of Melbourne so I’m thankful for that.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
