REVIEW: Zip Zap Circus celebrates the Rainbow Nation in ‘Moya’
Photo: Moya features a Cyr wheel routine that finds the performer rotating around the stage. Photo courtesy of Fannie Plessis / Provided by Rubenstein with permission.
NEW YORK — The opening sequence of Moya, the new show from the South Africa-based Zip Zap Circus, is a frenetic display of people walking busily on the streets and not minding the passersby around them, but at the center of the stage is a young man, with ripped clothes and a plea for help. It’s his mission to get someone to stop their brisk pace and pay him some attention. To achieve his ends, he sways in and around the criss-crossers, and every few moments, he is whisked up, down and around in stunning feats of acrobatics. This frenzied walk becomes a staging platform for Zip Zap Circus’ skilled performance style: seemingly simple, yet effective physical acts of balance and energy.
Welcome to Moya. Welcome to South Africa, known as the Rainbow Nation.
Over the next 70 minutes, this circus spectacle utilizes a bare minimum of props to elicit oohs and aahs from the crowd at the New Victory Theater, where Moya continues performances until Saturday, April 26. This is circus on an intimate scale, where a few balls can be juggled, a few straps hanging from the ceiling can be utilized, and a Cyr wheel can travel round and round the stage. This simplicity does not mean Zip Zap Circus is in the business of safe bets, quite the contrary actually. The company delivers the magic and then some, but its execution is less about the gargantuan set pieces that dominate Cirque du Soleil shows and more about the human-to-human connection that can take place on a more earthbound stage.
Throughout the piece, the rhythms of South Africa are played over the loudspeaker, with the performers bringing the country and its sense of ubuntu (humanity) to life with choreographic skill. One of the highlights is a unicycle act where the performer bounces up and down, reversing and accelerating his pedal motion on the bike. Another sequence that leaves a lasting impression features a member of the team ascending to the heights of the New Victory proscenium and descending in acrobatic — and perfectly staged — rolling falls with the help of strategically tied scarves.
The juggling is also something to behold. Each time the act seems to have reached its apex, another few balls are added to the storm of activity. By the end, the two performers are bouncing more balls than could be counted, and their eyes are lasered in to the back and forth as if they are studying for a test.
At a recent performance of Moya, the children in the audience, who are the main patrons of the New Victory’s mission, were clearly amazed by the proceedings. It didn’t take much to get the crowd clapping and cheering for the performers. The youngsters also learned some important lessons about acceptance and humanity because in between some of the acts, one of the troupe members offers some poetic recitations into a handheld microphone.
South Africa features heavily in the show. A backdrop displays Cape Town, the city along the southern coast of the country, and it appears the action is taking place in a township, amidst the diverse people and bustling sidewalks of the neighborhood. Traditional and contemporary songs are played, and there’s even a gumboot dancing sequence that is quite unique, with the performers stomping around stage and slapping their boots to the beats of the music.
Moya is a fun, energetic example of Zip Zap Circus’ obvious talents, but more than the high-flying feats, of which there are plenty, there is the message of unity and love that comes through loud and clear.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Moya, presented by Zip Zap Circus, continues at the New Victory Theater in Midtown Manhattan through Saturday, April 26. Click here for more information and tickets.
