Matador – Sabor de Amor | Adelaide Fringe 2022 review

Last year’s stupendous show has been extended to a full 100 minutes of sultry, sweaty and supremely stylish entertainment.

Matador - Sabor de Amor

Matador – Sabor de Amor

Dance

Rating: *****

Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent at Gluttony

Until March 20

The standout hit of the 2021 Fringe, Matador – Sabor de Amor returns with a stupendous show that extends last year’s short version to a full 100 minutes of sultry, sweaty and supremely stylish entertainment.

Sabor de Amor – “a taste of love” – is a stunning blend of physical theatre, dance and burlesque with a distinctly European flavour, and an unmistakeable Aussie twist, not least a whole lot of Kylie backing up the brilliant moves.

The audience become spectators in an intimate bullring where a love-torn bull and a seductive Matador play their dangerous game. The performers strut and pose, dance and leap, sometimes teasing, sometimes aggressive, and always alert to an opportunity to gain an edge, or to win the prize, whether it be in life or in love.

The aerial work is a highlight, with many different skills employed, though a terrific set on a custom-made lollipop apparatus featuring a gigantic bulls head is an unforgettable image. The 14-strong cast is uniformly strong, and uniformly desirable.

A fruit bat spotted high in the velvet folds of the beautiful Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent threatened to derail proceedings, but in the time-honoured manner, the show went on, even if the aerialists were looking over their shoulders in the loftier parts of the venue. That, as they say, is showbiz.