Bringing joy around the world

The Mandragora Circo has come to Newtown. This circus is a bit different with partners Mariana Silva and Joan Bracamonte performing their silent pantomime all over the world.

The duo from Argentina have performed all over the world for the past six years and have been partners for the last 13 years. “We just want people to realise that problems will always be there but that they should take a moment and enjoy the present,” Silva said. She added that the reason they chose to do a silent performance was that everyone can understand and relate to their on-stage characters. Both characters are nameless as Silva said that they could be anyone and yet at the same time represent everyone. “Without words we are all the same despite the fact that we share different cultures, languages and histories, we are all part of the human race,”she added.

The duo left Argentina in 2010 embarking on their world tour, starting on the two American continents and venturing to Europe and now they are on African shores. “We landed in Africa in December and we have already performed in Tunisia and Morocco up north and now we are in the south. We will be going to Kenya from here followed by Zimbabwe,” she explained. Silva said that she and Bracamonte made new friends and family wherever they went and that so far they have not been homesick. “Nowadays life is so fast maybe we could just have a moment of silence to observe life, love, discover ourselves, and face our fears,”Silva noted. She added that South Africa was the 21st country that they had visited.

The hour-long show was hosted by the Plat4orm at Carfax in Newtown and had showgoers laughing at the duo’s on-stage antics.

Mathew Prior said that he had had a great time watching the show and that he had enjoyed the little surprises planted throughout the show.

Details: Plat4orm, 011 051 9165

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