Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia: circus feats, in a downpour

Spotlight / Super troupe

Cirque du Soleil’s Mexican-themed new show, Luzia.Credit: Anne Colliard

Bread and circuses, as the Roman poet Juvenal once cynically suggested, might distract the masses, but no one would argue that a diversion from the world’s troubles isn’t exactly what’s needed right now.

Cirque du Soleil is renowned for incredible feats of human artistry: contortionists as bendy as rubber bands; trapeze artists effortlessly flipping and flying; strong men and women, all balance and athleticism; balletic dancers; madcap clowns. Not to mention stunning costumes, transformative sets and an energetic and ever-changing soundtrack.

In the Mexican-themed Luzia, which starts its Sydney run this week (from $85; The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park), the Canada-based troupe adds another layer: water. So much water! As if their death-defying feats aren’t tricky enough, performers run, slide, leap and twirl through every embodiment of it, from showers to outright deluges.

In this final stop of their Australian tour, artists from 26 countries – 17 languages between them – continue to dazzle. (One of the stars is 28-year-old Nelson Smyles, who grew up in Port Macquarie and studied at Melbourne’s National institute of Circus Arts.) Spruiked as a surreal trip through Mexico old and new, Luzia’s settings include a dance hall, a movie set, the ocean and the desert. It’s fast-paced, enthralling and a whole lot of joy: the perfect antidote to reality. Kerrie O’Brien

Read / Existential musing

Part memoir and part manifesto, Christiansen’s book features interviews with his famous celebrity friends, including Martha Stewart and Jane Goodall.Credit: Hugh Davison

He lives in Los Angeles yet preaches staying off Ozempic and giving up the exhausting, pointless fight for a perfect body. He collects famous friends like flies but is more obsessed with creating new sales streams for farmers through his California-based lifestyle brand, Flamingo Estate. And his latest book, The Guide to Becoming Alive (Chronicle Books; $75), might look like one of those beautifully produced yet vacuous coffee-table books but is, in fact, a cry from the heart for living more authentically. Being better in tune with nature, trusting our innate sensuality and saying f--- to moderation. Richard Christiansen is an intense cat – an interesting one, too, which is why this book, which features Q&A interviews with celeb friends together with Christiansen’s own musings about life and relationships, is so hard to categorise, yet so easy to keep reading. Katrina Strickland

Listen / Seeing double

Canadian pop-punk star (and conspiracy-theory subject) Avril Lavigne.

You’re aware that Canadian pop-punk star Avril Lavigne died in 2003 and was replaced by a doppelgänger called Melissa Vandella, right? Well, OK, maybe not. But this persistent conspiracy theory has gained momentum since 2011, rivalling the infamous “Paul McCartney is dead” rumour of the late 1960s. In her podcast, Who Replaced Avril Lavigne?, Irish comedian Joanne McNally decides to investigate, taking this conspiracy theory with all the seriousness it deserves – which is to say, not much. Instead, she has loads of fun with it, quizzing fans about their opinions, trying to blag her way backstage at a Lavigne concert, going to the singer’s home town in Ontario, and roping in comedian buddies to give their two cents. She even auditions people to be her own doppelgänger to see what it’s like having an alternative version of yourself out in the world. Barry Divola

Shop / Knitwittery

Slow fashion: start knitting now to finish a jumper by winter.

With knitting scenes popping up on social media and in movies (Selena Gomez’s character, Mabel, in Only Murders in the Building makes her own chunky sweaters), knitting has clearly regained its cultural mojo. Ideal for seasoned and new knitters alike, Lykke’s needle set features 12 needle sizes in a compact kit. Each “stubby” needle (etched in both metric and US sizes) attaches to a universal cord, creating a versatile circular needle that reduces hand strain by distributing project weight. Handcrafted in Kathmandu, Nepal, the Driftwood 5″ interchangeable set ($170) is lightweight, strong and comfortable to use, and helping to fuel a slow-fashion revival. Francis Mocnik

Groove / Big in Japan

Japanese rock group the Bawdies: coming down under.

They met in elementary school, have a string of top 10 singles and, this year, celebrate their 20th anniversary. They’re The Bawdies and, even though they play to huge crowds at home in Japan, they’re touring small clubs in Australia in December. They play hip-shaking originals inspired by ’60s beat music and garage rock, and while frontman/bassist Ryo “Roy” Watanabe has a baby face and hair seemingly styled on John Lennon circa 1964, he has a raspy belter of a voice that takes its cues from Wilson Pickett. But why do they sing in English and not Japanese? “Rock ‘n’ roll is more about feeling rather than understanding the lyrics,” Watanabe recently told NPR’s World Cafe. “So even though a lot of Japanese people don’t understand English, this music lets them go straight to the ‘feel’ part.” Barry Divola

Eat / Spice in a thrice

The Exotic Bazaar’s shelf-stable, 30-minute meal bases.

In my mind, I’m roasting capsicum over an open flame to make my own harissa. In my real life, I’m opening a sachet of Exotic Bazaar’s spiced sauce ($8.40 each) to create a tasty Middle Eastern meal. Iranian-born food entrepreneur Gilava Pour has just launched a shelf-stable range that includes Persian Walnut Chicken, Tunisian Shakshuka and Moroccan Tagine, each requiring just a couple of fresh ingredients and 30 minutes on the stove. They’re so easy and, even more impressively, all earned ticks of approval from the stern food critics at my place. Dani Valent

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