Elephant in the Room
Bringing Circus Costumes to Life
When Felix’s father dies in a bushfire, it seems a long-standing promise has been broken. However, after the ten-year-old is whisked away to the big city, a magical book takes him on a rollicking journey across foreign lands which might help him come to terms with the loss of his father. Of course, not without the help of his toy elephant come to life.
By the time this tale made it to the stage, the Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC) was long past simply showcasing circus skills at their shows. Instead, their 2009 production The Promise aimed to tell a story which confronted the nature of love and loss in an age-appropriate manner.
The show was written/directed by Sally Richardson and featured Harry McKoy (a rising star who would go on to tour with Cirque du Soleil a decade later) as the lead character, Felix. This elephant – part puppet, part costume – appeared in the show’s bright Bollywood sequence, choreographed by Jodie Farrugia.
Prop designers, Annie Forbes and Tim Denton, constructed this costume using a combination of materials like foam, spandex, and aluminium framing. Onstage, an adult performer wore the front legs like trousers and the elephant’s head, including an internal mechanism to manoeuvre the trunk, was attached to a backpack frame which Felix was able to ride on.
One reviewer of the show noted, ‘sets, props, lighting, costumery – all aspects of design and delivery – are veritable works of art.’ It was clear that the collective effort of the creatives behind the scenes were just as great as the talent onstage. Their efforts did not go unrewarded, that year The Promise would go on to win the Helpmann Award for Best Production of Children.
