Opening night at the Playhouse Theatre, QPAC delivered something wildly unexpected, utterly mesmerising, and joyfully off-centre. Circa’s Duck Pond is no traditional retelling of Swan Lake—instead, it’s a bold, contemporary reimagining that gleefully ruffles the feathers of the classic while threading in themes of duality, desire, and identity.
At its core, Duck Pond plays with the tension between light and dark—echoing the original ballet’s contrast between Odette and Odile—but here it’s explored through movement, tone, and shifting dynamics within the ensemble. Moments of softness and lyrical beauty are quickly undercut by something sharper, stranger, or more chaotic. This push and pull creates an ever-evolving emotional landscape, where tenderness and tension coexist.
Running through the piece is a subtle but compelling love triangle, reimagined in a way that feels fluid and contemporary rather than fixed. Relationships blur and shift, driven as much by physical connection as by narrative, allowing the performers to express longing, rivalry, and attraction through breathtaking lifts, balances, and near-collisions in mid-air.
From the moment the ensemble takes the stage, it’s clear this is a company operating at the peak of its powers. The performers—an extraordinary collective of acrobats, circus artists, gymnasts, and actors—move with breathtaking precision and trust. Each moment feels both impossibly controlled and thrillingly dangerous, as bodies are launched skyward, caught mid-air, and folded into shapes that seem to defy anatomy itself.
Duck Pond leans fully into its whimsical, modern tone. It’s strange, playful, and often laugh-out-loud funny—particularly in the now-iconic “duck cleaners” scene, which lands as a perfectly timed burst of absurd comedy amid the show’s more lyrical and surreal moments. This balance between humour and artistry is where Circa truly shines.
The use of apparatus is nothing short of stunning. Silks cascade from above, aerial rings spin with hypnotic grace, and trapeze work brings a sense of suspended poetry to the stage. Performers leap from dizzying heights with fearless abandon, drawing gasps from the audience, only to land in moments of quiet, sculptural beauty. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, they up the ante—executing intricate tricks and contortion sequences in heels, a feat that feels as daring as it is visually striking.
There’s also a refreshing inclusivity to Duck Pond. The ensemble reflects a wide spectrum of bodies, identities, and performance styles, reinforcing the show’s underlying message: beauty, strength, and grace exist in many forms. It’s a celebration of difference, wrapped in spectacle.
In one of the show’s most unexpected and memorable choices, Circa breaks the fourth wall near the finale. What begins as a curtain-call moment transforms into an extended, comedic “pack-up” sequence, where the illusion of theatre is gleefully dismantled. Performers reveal the mechanics of the show, interacting with the audience, undressing layers of costume and character, and inviting us into the backstage world with cheeky irreverence.
Globally, Circa has built a reputation as one of the world’s leading contemporary circus companies, and Duck Pond is a shining example of why. The production is fearless in its creativity, technically astonishing, and emotionally resonant in ways you don’t quite expect.
This is Swan Lake turned inside out—dark and light, romantic and chaotic, mischievous and completely mesmerising. Whether you come for the acrobatics, the comedy, or the layered storytelling, Duck Pond is an unforgettable theatrical experience that proves circus can be as thoughtful as it is thrilling.
TICKETS
Now Playing at the Playhouse Theatre, QPAC until 16 May
Images by Daniel Boud.
The Fame Reporter 