Tibia Acrobatic Theatre is a new-circus troupe of four plus a musician – and judging by the wealth of fit young bodies stacking the rows in the Hannah Playhouse for their short (2 nights) Wellington season, tibia new-circus performer is a vocation devoutly wished for by many (see what I did there?).

Choreographed and creatively facilitated by Geoff Gilson, with dramaturgy and ‘outside eye’ support from Adam David Rohe, Stack That Bass, their debut production, has played Auckland’s Splore Festival, Q Theatre and Mangere Arts Centre last year.  

Half a dozen wooden chairs are stacked at odd angles on the stage, along with a small tent (set by Stan Cohen; lighting by Michael Craven). Musician/ composer, Ed Zuccollo, warms us up and gets us fully engaged with some participatory percussion seemingly drawn from the floor; he gets us to clap rhythms to accompany his surreptitious beat-boxing.

Ed’s opening rap – delivered in his own non-American voice, for which much thanks – encourages us “to hold up the antenna to increased perception”. His bass-heavy DJ and Synth backing, with a touch of Backstreet Boys (I think), sets the rhythms and tones for the action and antics that follow.  

Given just watching people do clever physical tricks can soon become ‘ho-hum’, new circus troupes always need to exercise their skills in a context that adds another dimension. Here the four acrobatic performers – Sam Hankins, Beth St John, Nick ‘Taz’ Davies and Jaine Mieka – romp on like kids on a camping trip, or at a music festival perhaps: their publicity somewhat over-hypes  Stack That Bass as “the ultimate new-circus music video”.  

Some fun with trying, rejecting and swapping various items of clothing culminates in an astonishing ‘singlet dive’. The tried-and-true chair-balancing act brings Beth to the summit – and for me the more heart-stopping element is watching her safely descend with her colleagues in watchful support.

When Ed leaves for a bit, Sam’s ‘naughty boy-cum big-noter’ characteristic emerges as he messes with the turntable and fx buttons.

It’s Jaine who gets to play with the hula hoops – or are they playing with her? The way she handles them, they seem to have their own inbuilt energy. And if you think tapping your head while rubbing your tummy is hard, wait till you see her spin six hoops simultaneously in different ways.

Sam’s juggling with four clubs is pretty impressive too, when he gets it right – again they seem to have minds of their own at times – but when his pride at his prowess is over-weening he is ‘sent up’ by the others, and throws more than a tantrum before storming off.

Beth has something in her bum-bag to alleviate the situation: it glows and pulsates with multi-coloured light and seems to get the remaining three stoned or tripping. When long leather straps descend from the flies (Rigger: Greg Kolbe), Nick – or Taz, as I believe he’s known – is drawn to them. He explores their capacity to elevate him, wind him up, release him … Beth joins him and they go for a spin …

Degrees of difficulty come to the fore in a different way as Sam returns and tries to sum up the courage to apologise and make peace with his mates – an empathetic and touching moment. This allows the necessary business of ‘chalking up’ for the next acrobatic routine to play out as part of the reconciliation. There’s no room for negativity when Beth needs Sam and Taz to support her climbing and balancing on and above them. Let’s just say when the boys go head-to-head the split that occurs is a major act of trust and solidarity.

Jaine’s return with a back-pack heralds a lyrical Aerial Silks routine that plays out as her feeling free while we hold our breaths and gasp in astonishment. Large hoops – Cyr Wheels – feature as the full cast reassembles for Ed’s closing rap …

But wait, there’s more. To say Jaine gets to swing between Taz and Sam should only be taken literally; it’s another act of enormous trust – as is the human tower that brings it all to a close.

While more could be done with characterisations and relationships to give the show a stronger narrative spine, the pleasure Jaine, Beth, Taz and Sam have in exercising their skills, accompanied by Ed, is infectious. Tibia member of their audience is 50 minutes well spent. 

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