Tandem

Gravity Dolls brings an interactive acrobatic game show to the Poppy Seed Theatre Festival this year. Tandem takes aspects from retro video games, traditional board games and Japanese game shows, and mashes it up beautifully, all in one.

Gravity Dolls is a collaboration between Tim Rutty and Tarah Carey, who aim to challenge the laws of gravity and conjure a sense of magical realism in their performances. With backgrounds in theatre and circus respectively, Carey and Rutty both appear in the show as “players”, along with aerial performer Eleanor Beveridge, who joins the team for Tandem.

The show is framed as a Japanese game show, and if you haven’t experienced the laugh-out-loud absurdity of one, I strongly suggest watching a YouTube video or ten – trust me, you’ll love it. The dice is rolled, and the trio goes through a series of “games” on the board (aka the stage).

Incorporating aerial, circus and acrobatic moves, Gravity Dolls really lives up to its name. The players perform sequences that have you on the edge of your seat, thinking, are they going to plummet to the ground? Then you rock back with laughter and relief after they do (or don’t!) – the show brings comic relief along with wondrous acrobatic work.

We were particularly enthused by the aerial work – it really highlighted the acrobatic aspect of the show and was an amazing spectacle of just how strong the human body is.

The spontaneity of this performance had us leaving the venue feeling full of adrenaline – we can kinda see why gamers get addicted.

Tandem 
Chapel off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran
poppyseedfestival.com