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Fringe veterans Dummies Corp are back in Perth with their final season of Trash Test Dummies Circus.
As the name suggests, the show is a one hour circus act that heavily features the trusty wheelie bin. However, beyond the expected acrobatics and circus tricks, Dummies Corp has infused their performance with their own blend of physical, slapstick comedy.
I love that instead of a generic troupe act where players take turns wowing the audience, each dummy had their own personality. There’s General Waste, the unofficial leader who also has a cheeky wink for the adults. Dum Dum the limber acrobat who acts as the middle man. And last but certainly not least, Dummy, who is lovable but a bit slow on the uptake… which makes him the butt of almost every joke.
The obvious observation one could make about the troupe is their similarity to the iconic Three Stooges. However, the dynamic between the trio is more playful and cheeky. While D is the leader, he is nowhere near as bossy or antagonistic as Moe. Watching the three of them onstage, they feel more like a group of mates mucking about and having fun.
And perhaps that’s why the children enjoyed watching them so much. This could easily be a group of boys, out on an adventure and stirring up a bit of harmless mischief along the way. It’s good natured ribbing among friends. It’s chaos of the fun kind.
Throw in some seriously comical facial expressions and a healthy dose of interactive play between the artists and the audience, and I had serious concerns that Kiddo was going to have an accident all over the Studio Underground seats.
Trash Test Dummies is a must watch, even if you don’t have any kids. The laughs did not end during our session, with patrons both young and old in stitches from the group’s antics.
It is a unanimous 5 stars from our group… except Kiddo who insisted that the Dummies deserve 10 stars.