A production by The 7 Fingers, DUEL REALITY makes its Center Theatre Group debut in 2024. Directed by Shana Carroll, DUEL REALITY features their signature mix of circus, theater, illusion, music, and dance. Originally produced and created with Virgin Voyages and produced by The 7 Fingers with commissioning partner ArtsEmerson (Boston), DUEL REALITY turns idea and emotion into physical movement. In 2018, The 7 Fingers opened their very own Centre of Creation and Production in the heart of Montreal’s downtown theater district, with the goal of mixing genres and exploring new ways to tell stories. Inspired by the star-crossed tale of “Romeo and Juliet,” the nimble athletic group treats the audience to graceful and death-defying acrobatics as the ill-fated lovers struggle to escape their destiny.
To quote Elodie Marriott of the Edinburgh Festival Magazine: “Round after round, the opposing sides exhibit their abilities with hula hoops and diabolos, showcasing their incredible strength and balance. The stakes are high, with the cast climbing eye-wateringly tall poles and pausing for applause, before dropping swiftly headfirst, coming to an abrupt step less than an inch away from the floor. DUEL REALITY is a spectacle that will truly astonish all who experience it.”
Ensemble Cast – Photo by David Bonnet
As the Capulets and Montagues clash in duels of hand-to-hand combat, juggling, leaping from a see-saw, pole acrobatics, and trapeze twirls, the battle intensifies among these well-muscled, apparently boneless (and fearless) combatants as they writhe, wriggle, grapple, and kick for supremacy in the game to end all games. For this is a mashup of Shakespeare’s most famous love story and the intense world of competitive team sports. Intermittently, the iconic words of Shakespeare appear above their heads, perhaps goading them on to the next awe-inspiring feat of body vs. the laws of gravity.
Ensemble Cast – Photo by David Bonnet
The cast includes Daniela Corradi, Aerial Emery, Gerardo Gutierrez, Michelle Hernandez, Marco Ingaramo, Kalani June, Santiago Rivera, Andreas De Ryck, Arata Urawa, and Danny Vrijsen. The production features music directed and composed by Colin Gagne with excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights, and lyrics from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
DUEL REALITY is definitely appeal to audiences of all ages who are fascinated by the physicality of well-trained and experienced athletes demonstrating feats which seem almost impossible. On another level, DUEL REALITY is a mishmash of concepts (Shakespeare, song, dance, guitars, umpire, observers along the back wall, heart-shaped spotlights, fights) topped off by a bevy of kids wildly dancing to contemporary music. Unfortunately, the constant and often unrelated themes don’t quite mesh on stage. But if you’re game to cheer on two fellows who do seemingly impossible twists, turns, and tumbles while leaping on a teeter-totter, then DUEL REALITY is probably right up your alley.
DUEL REALITY runs through September 22, 2024, with performances at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sundays. The Ahmanson Theatre is located at 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Tickets begin at $25. For information and reservations, call 213-628-2772 or go online.
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