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As you enter the small intimate Flight Path Theatre in Marrickville, the scent of hay surrounds you. The vivid set, with a canvas-like curtain at the back, hay bales, a small vanity table and a chaise lounge. We enter a circus. The Strong Charmion is a new work written by Chloe Lethan Higson for Flight Path Theatre’s, Katie Lees Fellowship and has premiered its season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production Stills by Clare Hawley

 

Firstly, what is a Charmion? This term comes from Laverie Vallee who was a famous American strongwoman and trapeze artist in the early 1900’s, Charmion was her stage name. Chloe Lethlean Higson draws inspiration from this for the narrative in The Strong Charmion, as we follow Rosalie Whitewood, Australia’s strong charmion in 1921. She performs sold out shows across the country but as an untameable strongwoman, she battles the female societal pressures and expectations of that time. The play challenges this by encourging body positivity and queer exploration.

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Production Stills by Clare Hawley

 

 

The cast of four female identifying and non-binary actors were brilliant, connected to each other, and deeply committed to the narrative. Gabrielle Bowen as Rosalie, gave a mesmerising performance, her commitment to physicality was a stand out. The contrast of Bowen being quite naturally tall and the other characters being shorter was a brilliant casting choice. Emily Crow delivered a skillful and nuanced portrayal of Kitty Livingstone, Rosalie’s best friend. Crow hinted clearly to the characters' change in age through her detailed characterisation. Niky Markovic portrayed three different male identifying characters in the show, Ross Livingstone/Frank D’Orazio/Leopold Freize. Markovic was very physically committed to their fight scenes. At times, it was a difficult watch as the audience could hear the bang of their body on the floor whilst getting tossed around. To balance out these intense moments was the entertaining Juniper Treewick, the crazy ticketseller of the circus, played by Alyssa Peters. Through Peters characterisation and delivery, Juniper provided moments of comedic relief between dense scenes.

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Production Stills by Clare Hawley

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While performances were strong, the new work lacked some cohesion in overall meaning. The inconsistent time changes, with Markovic swapping roles, created confusion in what time period we were in. The work could have benefited with some clearer visual signals and tighter direction to ground the narrative. At times, Rosalie’s own story and circumstances were overshadowed by her love story. This is where I felt her motivations lacked clarity and we lost track of her drive to escape the circus. Nevertheless, Chloe Lethan Higson’s work has great potential to grow, as it offers audiences a new queer perspective of Australian history.

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Not only did the set replicate a historically accurate Australian circus in the early 1900’s, but the costumes were reflective and realistic of that time with an array of corsets, top hats, suits and chorus heels carefully designed by Bella Saltearn. Andy Freeborns sound design and composition was another stand out element of the performance, assisting in transitioning scenes and building a strong atmosphere for scenes to unfold. 

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With some development and tightening, The Strong Charmion emerges as a strong theatre piece , addressing themes that resonated with audiences. The Strong Charmion is now at the Flight Path Theatre until the 27th January. You can get tickets here.

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Production Stills by Clare Hawley