Australia’s Circus Oz to perform in ‘Straight Up’ at Eisenhower Auditorium

UNIVERSITY PARK — For more than three decades, Melbourne’s Circus Oz has shared its unabashed Australian sense of humor and slapstick antics with audiences worldwide. The lighthearted and acrobatically intense troupe will make its Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State debut with “Straight Up” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

According to Circus Oz member Matt Wilson, “Straight Up” is a return to the troupe’s more traditional circus format — a character-based clowning and acrobatic performance. “The show reflects what Circus Oz is: This is us, straight up,” Wilson said in a press release.

In addition to the group’s jugglers, aerialists and acrobats, most of the members play instruments, which transforms the show into an animal-free rock ‘n’ roll circus performance.

A San Francisco Chronicle reviewer called the show “a bit punk, undeniably in your face, refreshingly progressive, unapologetically off color and gleefully Australian.”

Wilson expounded on the comedy aspect of the show.

“It’s pretty self-deprecating, in a way. We like to show the side of ourselves that fails, that’s always funny,” he said. “It’s a bit cheeky, a bit irreverent. We don’t mind having a go at authority.”

Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring a visiting artist or artists, is offered in Eisenhower one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity, so seating is available on a first-arrival basis.

Tickets — $42 for an adult, $15 for a University Park student and $32 for a person 18 and younger — are available online at www.cpa.psu.edu or by phone at (814) 863-0255 or (800) ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at four State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), Penn State Downtown Theatre Center (weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk (weekdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Bryce Jordan Center (weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).