LOGAN – Back in 1969, Walt Disney Studios re-released their failed masterpiece Fantasia. Studio executives thought that since the animated film hadn’t been in wide release since the 1940s, a new audience might appreciate the artistry and symphonic music of the film.
What actually happened in the Age of Aquarius was that Fantasia became wildly popular with college-age audiences who smoked dope to enhance their psychedelic experience while watching it.
Which brings us to the Aluminum Show at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Jan. 27. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Fantasia. Like the Disney film, the Israeli production didn’t make a much sense, but it was visually stunning, vastly entertaining and loads of fun.
The Aluminum Show is the brainchild of three Israeli artists – writer/comedian Lior Kalfo, choreographer Kim Gordon and director Llan Azriel.
For more than two decades, the Aluminum Show has captivated and surprised audiences worldwide; the local Cache Valley crowd here was no exception.
The show’s minimalist plot follows a lone space traveler who ventures into a fascinating new world where imagination knows no bounds, featuring breathtaking landscapes, whimsical creatures and ordinary materials like aluminum foil and telescoping tubes that are transformed into extraordinary works of living art.
The program for the Aluminum Show lists Alexander Polzun as its sole actor in the role of the space explorer. In reality, he doubles as a dancer and displays great skill as a pantomime.
Polzun was assisted by six dancers who divide their time between animating the show’s various other-worldly creatures and performing elaborate modern-dance choreography to the mostly pounding soundtrack of the Aluminum Show.
For a refreshing change of pace, however, the dancers also performed to the Tom Jones’ hit “It’s Not Unusual,” the disco tune “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees and an improbably amusing alien infant also rocked “Stand By Me.”
The Aluminum Show was also interactive, indescribably immersing the audience in the on-stage action. That experience not only bridged the gap between the performers and spectators, but the kids lucky enough to be on-hand loved it.
Don’t ask me about the symbolism or deeper meaning of the Aluminum Show – I haven’t a clue. But it was obviously a successful celebration of creativity and imagination that I wouldn’t mind seeing again.
The Aluminum Show was part of the 2024-25 National Touring Season at the Ellen Eccles Theatre, sponsored by the Cache Valley Center for the Arts.
CacheARTS is an independent, non-profit organization. Its goal is to facilitate the best use of publicly owned facilities here in Logan, including the Ellen Eccles Theatre, the Thatcher-Young Mansion and the Bullen Center.
The Ellen Eccles Theatre is located at 43 S. Main Street in Logan.