Circus Oz is naughty and nice

The wild, untamed larrikin child of the circus world turns 35 this year but still refuses to grow up. Cheeky and audacious, Circus Oz was already touring the world and reshaping the meaning of circus a decade before Guy Laliberte took his Cirque du Soleil from the streets of Montreal to cities around the world.

Thumbing its nose at the prevailing circus conventions of sequins, sawdust, floppy-footed clowns and miniature pony acts, Circus Oz found new audiences with its high-octane mix of rock'n'roll burlesque and extraordinary physical feats.

The Melbourne outfit heads west for the first time since it pitched its tent on the Esplanade during its Laughing at Gravity tour during the 2007 Perth International Arts Festival.

Circus Oz prides itself on its DIY ethos, with shows that are an expression of the personalities of its ever-changing ensemble.

Six years ago, Laughing at Gravity came across as a chaotic cabaret but the new show, built from the ground up by a largely new cast, is based on a bunch of building-site workers whose antics tip over the edge of absurdity.

"It is a bit more theatrical, with more through-lines and narrative and probably stronger characters but not at the expense of the circus, of course," says Circus Oz juggler, magician and acrobat Jeremy Davies.

Speaking on the phone from Melbourne, Davies guffaws when told that his talk of "through-lines and "narratives" makes him sound like one of the artistes from Cirque du Soleil. "It is always going to be Circus Oz, rock'n'roll Australian 'kulcha'," he says.

On the troupe's last tour of the US, Davies and the rest of the cast swapped backstage visits with the performers of Cirque's resident Las Vegas casino show Ka, Davies says.

"That day really illustrated the differences between the two companies," he says. "We try to be the best acrobats we can be but we have to diversify by playing music and acting. There is only a small crew of us. We were getting nervous that these elite athletes (of Cirque du Soleil) would look at our show and judge us harshly, being from China, Russia and so many other great circus countries. Afterward, they were nothing short of jealous, I'd say. They were going 'Oh, you guys look like you are having such fun on stage and can do the work you want to'. It was really nice to be reminded that we have got a really great job and a really great company and it is up there in the international arena."

And it's not just Davies saying that. The New York Times described its latest show, From the Ground Up, as "a little naughty, a little nice, a little death defying". The New York Post said it was "filled with the sort of raucously cheeky (humour) that seems as indigenous to Australia as kangaroos".

Davies says the new show's construction-site concept was partly inspired by the building of the new Circus Oz base in Melbourne and by the freewheeling skyscraper boom in New York between the wars.

"Once we got the overalls on and started mucking around, we realised the slapstick nature of it all started to suit that 1930s image of everybody having lunch on the girder while building the Rockefeller Centre," he says. "That is totally where we are coming from. That incidental humour where everyone is sitting there doing their own thing and then something happens that is partly magical and partly chaotic."

Founded in 1978, Circus Oz grew out of the dynamic, fiercely independent theatre scene centred on Melbourne's Pram Factory.

Senior artist Tim Coldwell, one of only two remaining members of the 14 original founders of Circus Oz, says the troupe wanted to address the tumultuous social change of the 70s as well as providing amazing stunts.

Its egalitarian ethos remains, with everyone in the troupe having a say in decisions and working to promote tolerance, diversity and social justice, Coldwell says.

"We have trouble with speaking with one voice. It is all about Circus Oz speaking with 15 voices."

The company spends about a third of its time overseas, which makes it acutely aware of its "Australian-ness" - an attitude constantly refreshed as new members join, Coldwell says.

Asked to describe the Australian circus personality, he says it is distinguished by a sense of irony, iconoclasm and pride mixed with a healthy dose of self-mockery and humility.

Coldwell can't quite believe the company is 35 years old. "It doesn't seem that long ago that we had a 21st birthday. I guess that's what happens to you in middle age."