Thomas Worrell Shakes His Bon-Bon Mid-Air!
He’s performed in shows with names like Briefs, Happy Endings, and Dirty Laundry! Now, Thomas Worrell, the aerialist and hoop extraordinaire who defies gravity is back in Cirque Bon Bon!
Tell us about the show you are currently in, Cirque Bon Bon.
It’s quite an intimate theatre experience and not traditional circus where the acts are sparkling and shiny and everyone salutes at the end. It’s more theatrics and drama with the essence of modern circus mixed with Cirque du Soleil. It has smooth, organic transitions in a natural flow. It’s quite marvellous.
Does it have a queer element?
It’s not queer-orientated or directed with that purpose. There are queer artists, so it has that representation without being an intentional concept. At times in the past, I’ve had experiences of, “Oh no, all the boys are boys, and all the girls are girls,” but the world of theatre and the arts has progressed where it’s now about being “you”. It’s about presenting yourself and your art to the audience.
Speaking of such, did you see the Paris Olympics opening ceremony?
I did! Me and my old housemate have a penchant for the opening and closing ceremonies. We watch them all the time on repeat. Paris wasn’t the best, but I liked how they tried a different style. There was a lot of backlash about the representation of queerness and drag queens, but that’s just people choosing to be offended. There were drag queens and campness at the Sydney Olympics 24 years ago, so why are people suddenly surprised?
It had an element of Eurovision, too.
Oh, it was very Eurovision and campy. But I think about 90 per cent of the audience couldn’t tell who was in drag. I mean, Nicky Doll is one of the most beautiful feminine-looking people around.
What’s life like on tour?
Not as glamorous as you’d think. People always assume I’m on holiday! The hard part is setting up before opening, which involves long days making sure everything’s ready. After opening night, I settle into a routine. Our ‘office hours’ are not long, but there’s still a heightened energy. It’s like shift work in that I need to hit my peak in the evening. If I wake up early in the morning, I’ll be too tired to perform later. If I wake up late, then I’m all over the shop. There’s also the isolation of tour life. Being away from family and friends can take its toll. But I’ve been doing it for so long, I don’t know any other way.
Is being an aerial hoop contortionist exhilarating?
Parts of it are and then there are days where it’s plain work. Certain skills are so high-level and dangerous that you get into this zoned-out hyper-focused place where nothing else exists. Sometimes the focus is super internal. I’ll be spinning, trying to hold a shape and thinking about what muscles I need to contract. So, it does become this strange world where the audience disappears and it’s just me trying to achieve a movement. But I will say this – spinning releases endorphins that make you happy. If you can get past the nausea there’s a real zing that comes from spinning fast. There’s a reason why kids spin until they’re dizzy and fall over giggling!
What do you think of Pink’s acrobatics?
She’s an incredible performer. I like that she’s been doing circus in her shows since the beginning. She’s always approached it with a level of respect and made circus popular and palatable in a different way. For example, Britney Spears did The Circus tour, but that was a gimmick for an album. She hired performers, but there was no circus involved with herself. A lot of artists now use harnesses and automations to fly over the crowd – because of Pink. But now even Pink has to find new ways to make it look fresh. She’s always respected circus and never taken the piss out of it. Also, bear in mind she sings at the same time. That’s more than most circus artists do.
Cirque Bon Bon bookings for Canberra and Brisbane here.
