In Limbo
One of the biggest Australian shows in years, Cantina, debuted at the Adelaide Fringe. Its successor, Limbo, opens in 2013. Jonathan Nosan is a new member of the team.
When Jonathan Nosan was approached to be part of Limbo, he wondered what it was.
Then he looked at Cantina, which opened at the Adelaide Fringe in 2012 and promptly toured the world, selling out for five months in London alone.
“So I thought it would be a good idea,” says Jonathon, on a break from rehearsals in Melbourne.
“It’s a great group to be working with. The producers have picked and chosen incredible people from all over the world to come together. I’m from New York as is the composer, Sxip Shirey, whom I’ve known for a long time, and Heather Holliday, who’s a sword-swallower from Coney Island! An amazing guy from Belgium, Michael Bres, who’s a pole master and beatboxer, and Hilton Denis who’s an Australian illusionist.”
“The incredible thing about Limbo,” Jonathan continues, “is how fast it’s come together. Our director, Scott Maidment, is so focused on the overall concept of the show that putting it together has been a really organic process and it seems so natural. And the artist are all so well skilled. We’re all really comfortable with each other even though some of us had never met until a few weeks ago.”
And feeling comfortable is important when, like Jonathan, you’re a contortionist.
“I didn’t plan to be,” he says with a laugh, “I thought I was going to be a teacher. I’d studied Japanese language at university and went off to Japan to research for a PhD. I started training in physical theatre and found a Chinese master trainer in San Francisco and decided that contortion was my chosen form of masochism! Now, years later, I’m a truly twisted individual! When I showed my act to the other cast members they were blown away. I think it frightened them, in a beautiful sort of way.”
The success of Cantina in 2012 suggests that Limbo will likewise be the hands-down success of the 2013 Fringe. In the mean time, do yourself a favour and YouTube the artists, and prepare to be astounded.
Photo: Pia Johnson
Limbo is in the Spiegeltent just about every night from 15 February to 17 March. Book at Fringetix.
- Tags: Adelaide, Adelaide Fringe, Blaze, Cabaret, Cantina, Circus, contorsionism, Hilton Denis, Jonathan Nosan, Limbo, Michael Bres, Sxip Shirey, Theatre
About the Author
Peter Burdon
Peter grew up in country SA and moved to the city to go to uni. On his second day in Adelaide he discovered the Duke of York Hotel and the Mars Bar, and the rest is history! He has a long involvement in the arts, and in 1997 began writing for Adelaide GT little knowing what was in store. He has since contributed to all but three issues of GT and subsequently blaze, even filing an article from a hotel in Valencia. He works extensively as a freelance critic, and is Chair of the Adelaide Critics Circle.
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