Review by Steve Bennett

Who would have thought hopscotch, hula-hoop and skipping could be funny? Well, street performer Jess Love, for one, and she conclusively proves it in her delightful Melbourne debut.

She has taken standard circus tricks and given them a twist, but her biggest asset is her personality. Though largely silent, she evokes an endearing image of girlish innocence and delight at what she finds herself able to do.

There’s an almost Chaplinesque quality to this, in that whatever grim hands the world deals her – and the show does take a fashionably dark turn – she always tries to keep optimistic. With kohl eyes, too-ruby cheeks and wearing a baby-doll dress, she hopes for candy-floss, but ends up with nails and broken glass. And followers of twisted cabaret will know exactly where that nail is going to end up.

There’s a considerable display of physical talent here: she nonchalantly twirls a hula-hoop around her ankle as she flips between all manner of improbable poses; skips frantically with her rope as she chants a dark tale of murder; or tap dances entertainingly with the sparkly red shoes she discovers at the bottom of a briefcase.

It’s all performed with the sensitivities of burlesque, placing context on a par with spectacle, which makes this as much a pathos-filled character comedy piece as it is a showcase for the amazing stunts. The result is certainly more theatre than street, but Love never forgets her roots.

When it comes to updated one-woman circus shows, this compelling 27-year-old has, appropriately enough, nailed it.

Review date: 5 Apr 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett