The last act of the show is a group trampoline-wall act. It’s not the most technical of numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s high energy with lots of different things happening all over the place, and really, it’s just a lot of fun. It’s a great way to end a show.
It’s also a great vehicle for hilarity.
Yup, there’s no greater combination for comedy than an object that will fling you into the void with no mercy, and the unyielding eyes of all your colleagues upon you.
One night, I barely managed to pull off this rinky-dink figure that I do at the very beginning of the act. I swear, if my arms weren’t as strong as they are, there’s no way I would have made it back to the wall. M thought my failed attempt at full turn to sit was hilarious and, hidden behind the wall, laughed his ass off. Fortunately, karma was on my side and he damn near bit the dust after flailing through his solo a little later on.
But that’s nothing. The past two nights have offered some quality falls.
First there was H. There’s a moment in the act where he purposely falls off the trampoline. He actually executes it brilliantly; it’s a wonderful fall that covers at least three metres. But that night, something was amiss. I think he actually got caught on the padding over the springs and basically, he just dropped to the floor like a stone. It should be noted that at this moment, the entire troupe is watching him. The six of us acrobats started laughing and could not stop for the remainder of the number. A, who actually disappears into a hole just after H falls, could be heard laughing from wherever the hell it is he lands. It was awesome.
But it gets even better!
The very next night, A took a spill. I know I shouldn’t take pleasure in other people’s mistakes (look at what happened to M), but when you see someone falling, and you can see that they’re very much aware of what’s going on spatially, and you can tell they’re going to be okay, you really can’t help it.
Well A’s fall was just that kind. Not only that, it happened in multiple stages so it was almost like watching it in slow motion.
It all seemed to go to hell when he tried to do the cat twist. Normally he does a double but he was off and singled out. It looked like one of those situations where you know you gave too much so, mid-move and mid-air, you stop doing anything at all and just wait for the botched attempt at the skill to be over. Fine. No problem. Happens all the time.
Except for whatever reason, when he landed in the bed, he got turned around in the bounce back up. Then, inexplicably, he ended up underneath the padding with his head in the springs. He was then unceremoniously ejected from the trampoline and landed on the stage with a loud thud.
The audience applauded heartily.
