Review by Iya Jarbadan

Pss Pss performed by Compagnia Baccalà is a wonderful opening to the 10th Tauranga Arts Festival celebration. With idyllic music, the act starts and pulls us into a world of simplistic comedic timing mixed with perfectly choreographed danger. We are strapped into our seats and grip the edge for dear life as our stomachs pain with laughter and drop in fear. Their entire performance shatters the fourth wall completely, fully investing the audience into their antics and going even further though the usage of audience interaction. Just beware of the ladder.

Pss Pss is not grandiose. However, its simplicity of two people performing in silence - save for the odd backing track and instrumental interlude - are what make it exceptional. They say silence is deafening, this is what it means. The acrobatics and clever usage of props leave the audience stunned with the ingenue and in wonder as creativity and choreography are perfectly blended into their performance.

Compagnia Baccalà’s performance features two runaway circus performers who, out of chance, find an audience and perform for them. With their easily digestible humor and dramatic flair, they take the audience back into a childlike state as they ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ and ‘aww’ at every trick and hug shown. Pss Pss is a spectacular performance perfect for young and old.

Review by Alia Marshall

Pss Pss, a show with a questionable name leaving you stumped as to what to expect to see. However, it was a pleasant surprise. I found myself with sore cheeks walking out of the theatre, hearing the excited babble of children and the murmur of the adults accompanying them. This is a show that can leave all ages grinning.

The stage opens with the classic circus music as the female character (Camilla Pessi) walking on followed by the male (Simone Fassari). We sit in anticipation, waiting for what is about to occur. The performance is an adorable and ridiculous assortment of acrobatics, music, and the antics of pair. The two commanded the stage effortlessly as the two clowns and left the audience in hysterics for a vast majority of the show. I found myself holding my breath on several occasions as she climbed onto his shoulders with the casual air one would have climbing a flight of stairs. The pair have a beautifully cute and playful relationship that they maintain and develop throughout, with some particularly sweet moments together earning a well deserved “aww” from the audience.

A piece that can leave anyone at any age laughing along is a piece that is well done and fun. Camilla is a playful and sweet character that just wants to play, while Simone wants to just eat his banana and be done with it. The play flows wonderfully and leaves you satisfied and content at the end with the perfect balance of cute moments, nerve wracking acrobatics, and a whole lot of laughs.

Colourful and exciting for the children, enjoyable and funny for the adults, a perfect combination for a show for the whole family. The show aims to make you happy and does that successfully, no matter what your age.