Destroy the Fantasy is unashamedly feminist with a humorous take on the political implications of the fantasy of circus. With a cast of three powerful, queer women, there are all the sequins and sparkle you’d expect but an underlying message that you may not.
Entertaining and quite intriguing.
Performing alongside a live band, the Killjoy’s show starts out more like a burlesque and it’s a little while before we see anything on stage that could be considered ‘circus’ but the opening acts are still entertaining and quite intriguing. The live music is well integrated with the show and the band get to have some genuine personality.
Alongside the aerial work and acrobalance, there’s a strange moment where a piñata is beaten by an audience member and candy thrown to the audience. I sit and hope that it’s going somewhere but the moment ends and the show moves along; it isn’t until the finale that I realise the set-up and it’s a solid call-back and a valuable lesson for the audience that I won’t spoil here.
Killjoy is unapologetic in its politics and so it should be. Circus can and should be a catalyst for changes that we’re very slowly starting to see across the world and it’s a pretty entertaining night out too.
