★★★★☆
When I told people I was going to see Escape for Brisbane Festival and they asked me what it was about, I didn’t quite know how to answer.
Is it movement using structures onstage? Having now seen the production, presented by Diavolo | Architecture in Motion, I realise Escape is so much more than that. It is an exploration of shapes, pushing the boundaries of the physical world and the movement of a collective group. Not only is there dancing, acrobatics and parkour, the production also has heart and takes the audience on an emotional journey.
As this was the Brisbane opening night, we had a few words prior to the show from director Jacques Heim. He welcomed us with an excitable energy that immediately amped up the crowd. The show then opened with the performers entering from the audience, each one engaging with us by asking if we were ready or simply saying thanks for coming.
They then walked onstage and each stepped through the door placed centre stage, taking us into the space. Their space. A space that is exposed and stripped back. You could see the structures that would be used throughout the performance sitting side stage.
The first sequence utilises a cube of scaffolding. The ensemble climb, bounce and flip off, through and on top of the structure. It takes the idea of a children’s jungle gym to the next level.
My friends and I sometimes shout “Parkour!” when jumping from the footpath onto the road as a joke. I’m afraid that’s about all my joints could handle. What these performers do is so much more.
It is one brain. A collective moving through the space. The audience was unable to predict where their bodies would move next. It was as if Newton’s laws of physics were being broken.
As a performer myself, I enjoy acknowledging elements of a show that a standard audience member may not notice or even care about. One thing that stood out to me was the shouting happening onstage. I know they are doing it for certain changes in the sequence or when the acrobats are ready to fly through the air.
But I see it almost as a check-in: I am here. We are here. An acknowledgement of trust. This is so important in a show that has no downtime. There is always something happening.
Even the set pieces are moved on and off by the performers. This is done seamlessly, as your eyes are constantly drawn to another part of the stage.
The sequence that includes four separate arcs is particularly impressive. At first, the performers are balancing on them and weaving in and out. Then the pieces form one large wheel, which is wheeled all around the stage with the performers intertwined between the spokes.
My brain almost couldn’t comprehend how these performers were able to manoeuvre around these fast-moving pieces without hesitation… or injury!
The final sequence features a ginormous semi-circle seesaw. The looming presence this piece brings to the stage is powerful. Watching the artists run back and forth, mimicking the waves of the sea, could make someone feel nauseous. Nevertheless, the navigation of this piece is performed with what appears to be absolute precision.
The performers deliver an impressive show with care, trust and an incredible sense of collective movement. The emotional journey is clear, and the enjoyment and wonder onstage is infectious.
Heim said it perfectly: “The goal of Escape was not really to create an art piece here, but to use our art to find peace.”
And perhaps that is what Escape ultimately becomes. Not just a showcase of what the human body can do, but a reminder of what can happen when a group of people trust each other completely.
Escape is presented by Diavolo | Architecture in Motion and runs to 27 September 2026 at the Playhouse, QPAC, as part of Brisbane Festival.
Tickets are available here.
Website: https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/events/escape
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/brisbanefestival/ and https://www.instagram.com/diavolo_la/
Photo credits: Cheryl Mann
