Diver tackles the depths with fun
Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham has made a splash with the world premiere of his cabaret show Twists and Turns.
The 10m platform diving champion from the 2008 Beijing Olympics was in fine voice in his Fringe World act at the De Parel Spiegeltent.
Mitcham sang, played ukulele and cavorted with cabaret star Spanky in the upbeat musical story of his battles with depression and addiction while pursuing his Olympic dream.
He even threw in an awesome acrobatic stunt that had the crowd gasping.
Mitcham said he was surprised how well Twists and Turns was , an adaptation of his recent book by the same name, had been received.
“It is a pretty colourful story and we touch on some pretty heavy themes and I didn’t know how well that they would adapt to the stage and whether it had the right balance of light and shade,” he said.
Mitcham is balancing his Fringe World shows with training for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“It has been a little bit hectic but you have got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said.
“I really want to be here doing this Fringe stuff but in order to be doing it - I am going to Madrid for a diving grand prix - so I have to keep up that level of training.”
Twists and Turns runs until Saturday.
