Physical theatre / The Mirror, Gravity & Other Myths. At  Canberra Theatre, until April 12. Reviewed by SAMARA PURNELL.

Manipulation of an analogue radio tuned between songs and static by composer, singer and performer Ekrem Eli Phoenix, opens the show. Curtains are swept open, shut and from side to side, revealing and sweeping away vignettes of the ensemble in human towers, tricks or an amusing subterfuge. 

Phoenix, in a sort of MC role, spends the majority of the time in his white jocks, but is incorporated into the ensemble’s lifts and costume changes, even though most of these consist of swapping flesh underwear for black ones.

Phoenix creates an encompassing soundscape where Imagine, Hey Mr DJ, Summertime and Feeling Good blend seamlessly, cleverly weaving into an ethereal, lounge-style sound with plenty of reverb.

The cast of nine execute silky-smooth effortless iterations of “the worm” in all directions and the backflips, dives and tumbles are performed quite low to the floor, apparently, as the company’s name suggests, defying gravity.

Diving at each other from atop the shoulders of each other elicited gasps from the riveted audience. As did the footwork of a mambo, by one of the performers with two people on his shoulders. Gone are the days of any safety measures.

A segment where two performers are manipulated like mannequins and utilised by the rest of the ensemble to perform tricks on was very entertaining and novel.

Gender is almost irrelevant as the females take on the lifting and holding tricks as well as the men, the cast displaying a variety of muscular, strong, slim and stocky bodies.

Much of the show is performed in low lighting, making the pin-point accuracy of the performers even more impressive and the setting is relatively minimal but effective. The cast manipulate the set at times throughout the performance, including the use of fluorescent lighting rods.

Phoenix glides around the audience concurrently projecting imagery from his selfie stick with influencer lighting while performing an impressively lengthy and hilarious mashup of lines from songs and even including an audience member or two.

A depiction of “behind the scenes”, rehearsal and “marking out” of routines was hilariously accurate and as the performers walk around with arms outstretched in preparatory position, they chatter and vocalise. The collective audience even gave impulsive responses to comments that may or may not have been intended for it!

The title, The Mirror, is depicted through various stages of dressing and undress, and briefly mirroring each other. It clearly reflects the narcissistic obsession with self and real-time content in modern society and holds an influencers’ light-ring up to social media. Perhaps it is also an illusionary reference.

The Mirror ends with a whimper, not a bang. A horse race mardi gras-inspired routine with the cast in colourful, strappy underwear (with minimal restraining properties) could have ended the show but another segment of live projections of the singer, ensemble and audience, as the cast ran in circles for a length of time eased the audience gently back to earth, before a fleeting final stunning pose to conclude.

There are a lot of cracks in The Mirror, with bare bums aplenty. Despite this, the show is not graphically sexual but comedic.

Director Darcy Grant presents an enthralling, silly, almost hypnotic production and a night of great fun, where the opportunity is presented to marvel at the collaboration, dedication, discipline and strength of this group of people. The Mirror is a testament to what bodies can do. Even if for the observers that test is remembering to take a breath during the show.