On the case with The Detectives at Cirque Noir
From internationally acclaimed comedy troupe Dummies Corp, comes a killer circus comedy like no other. Set in a bygone era of cheap dames and dirty dicks, noir mystery Detectives in Cirque Noir will bring a smooth blend of awe-inspiring acrobatics, Charlie Chaplin-esque slapstick, burlesque, high-flying aerial and more to Lotterywest De Parel Spiegeltent at Perth Cultural Centre from Friday, January 20 to Sunday, February 19 (get more info and tickets here). BRAYDEN EDWARDS got on the case with Dummies Corp’s Jamie Bertram to find out more.
Congrats on bringing The Detectives at Cirque Noir to Fringe 2023! How long have the detectives been planning to pay us a visit?
Well the show was meant to make its Western Australia last Fringe but the borders were closed on us right before we could cross them. We premiered at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2021 and have been trying to get over to Perth ever since.
This is a new show for Perth audiences…how is it different from what you have brought to the stage before?
The first major difference is this is our first comedy circus show for adults, which even includes some burlesque. The show also has a world class puppeteer/marionettist in it, a composed score and songs written for the show by multi-instrumentalist Mal Web and is the first one of our shows that has a complete narrative story line.
Take us into the world this show is based…what’s the most difficult part of being a detective in this by-gone era?
The biggest challenge has been sticking to the characters, their world and narrative whilst seamlessly integrating circus skills. Another challenge is that there is also no dialogue in the show so everything is conveyed through physical comedy and acrobatics but I think we have done an excellent job at putting it all together with narrative, comedy and wow factor for a great night out.
You would need to be prepared for encounters with all kinds of characters in this world too?
I don’t want to give too much away but there are not just the detectives in this show. You may also meet a femme fatale, police and bar tender, amongst the midst of cheeky characters.
It must have been a lot of fun writing and creating this show! Like any good mystery, did the development of the show itself take some unexpected twists and turns?
The show has been in development for quite some time. The initial writing stage started pre-pandemic and then all through the lockdowns in Melbourne we were sharing and storyboarding ideas before going into some serious development phases when we could be in the same room with all of the creative team. It was really important to us all that we kept both the integrity of the circus skills as well as the narrative all whilst making sure our audience will be laughing along the whole way.
There’s such a rich and diverse list of talents within Dummies Corp, what would you say is the one thing you all have in common?
The first thing that comes to mind is that we are all funny and have a passion for comedy but we use circus as our art form. On top of that I would say Dummies Corp is very particular about working with really great performers that don’t want to just do their circus act and get off stage, but are driven by audience response and interaction.