appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Bridgette Hall

My very first thought while watching the opening of Studio City in Macau’s new all-electric stunt show Elekron is of the scene in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace where Anakin races against Sebulba in the Boonta Eve Podrace. The show opens with motorbikes, quad bikes, cars, you name it, filling the arena with a dizzying array of stunts, that I’m sure I missed some.
Elekron is an ancient Phoenician word meaning “shining light”, which may explain the strange spelling to viewers unsure of the pronunciation – but in the show it represents a beacon of hope in a fictional post-apocalyptic world.


Visit these 3 private kitchens in Macau for a gastronomic experience
While the stunts are impressive, they work within the narrative and are used to drive the story. In this fantasy world, different tribes unite to defeat powerful electrical forces and ensure their survival in a land where nature is out of control. The Mad Max inspiration becomes clear once the show comes together. A contemporary message in the age of climate change, while using all electric vehicles – this is its true success.
The show starts with guns blazing, and you are not sure where another vehicle will come from, or whether they will even fit on the 900-square-metre stage. Someone playing an electric guitar and the screeching tyres makes you feel like you are at an illegal street race. Someone who drives will instantly understand the tremendous timing and coordination it takes to make such stunts succeed. One wrong move in such a confined space and things could go very wrong.

What I don’t realise until I speak to the cast the following day is what an accomplishment this is using all electric vehicles. It is a first for the stuntmen and women performing life or death tricks when they’re used to using petrol. One stunt where double Guinness Worlds Records holder, Matt Coulter – the cast know him as the Kangaroo Kid – drives a quad bike up and across a massive wall that seems to defy gravity, is at the core of the show.
“My favourite vehicles are the quads, the ones that I built,” says the stuntman who has worked on Hollywood blockbusters such as the James Bond thriller Die Another Day, Transformers, Doctor Strange and Mission Impossible – Fallout tells me afterwards.
8 places to eat in Hong Kong and Macau this December
Why was it so difficult, I ask. “Because it has never been done before,” he says. This means customisation of all the vehicles, and lots of bruises for the stuntmen as they perfect the tricks on their electric vehicles. Coulter took a tumble twice while trying to ride a quad bike across a wall.

However, stunt work is not just left to the vehicles. When the aerialists suddenly drop down from the ceiling, all I can think of is where are they standing? How does that happen? One of the charms of the show is its raw, industrial warehouse-style stage. Being able to see the rigging, the lighting, a massive wall used for stunts and projections and a stage without much to hide gives me a sense of participation that other shows fail to provide. Melco’s other blockbuster show, The House of Dancing Water, at the City of Dreams, keeps you enthralled through mystery, Elekron’s setting is a relative open book, yet it still manages to surprise.

It has rawness that I keep coming back to, a little steampunk, a little metalhead that appeals to my younger self and the time I dated a guy who was into street racing. It gave an all-encompassing sensory experience. The screech of the tyres is a by-product of the stunts that cannot be masked by any amount of musical decibels but what gave this show a unique appeal. I even enjoy the smell of the burnt rubber. It feels like it brings me closer to the action.
8 reasons to visit Macau before the end of 2018
This post-apocalyptic world isn’t all doom and gloom, the narrative is punctuated nicely with its own Shakespearean fools for some comic relief where they drive in on a car with a couch on in its roof, call an audience member on the phone and speak gibberish to them. It ends when the fool stabs himself and fake cuts come out of his trousers. As someone deeply unmoved by slapstick humour, I even find myself giggling and appreciate the break in adrenaline before the show moves towards the final act.

My final thought in the closing moments of the show is that, “it is a celebration of wheels”. There are cars, quad-bikes, motorbikes, bicycles, electric skateboards even trolleys to do tricks with and, just when I think there could not possibly be another type of wheel, a biplane caps the show at the end with the aerialists performing on its wings.
DFS is showcasing some of the rarest watches and jewellery in Macau

While I’m sure the cast of Elekron would prefer to be judged independently of The House of Dancing Water, audiences will have high expectations of its sister show before they even sit down – and will subsequently leave with an inevitable comparison. That is an unfortunate by-product of being a younger sibling. Elekron still has some way to go – not just in attracting first-time audiences but also to persuade them to keep on coming back for more.
Video by Bridgette Hall and Jeff Chen
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter


Macau’s mix of Chinese and Portuguese food was the first fusion cuisine according to Unesco

How does one of Macau’s oldest ice cream shops stay relevant? Lai Kei owner says it’s all about the human touch – and working with fashion brands

Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho touched many lives

How top chefs like Alain Ducasse and Pierre Hermé get a 7-course Michelin-star-quality dinner ready for 500 people – a test of skill and timing

More To Macau

At Studio City in Macau, ‘Elekron’ brings the post-apocalyptic world to life

A car is set on fire in ‘Elekron’, Studio City’s new stunt show. Photos: Jeff Chen

Aerialists suspend from the ceiling during Elēkrŏn, Studio City's new stunt show

Some comic relief for the audience during Elēkrŏn.

World-class stuntman and double Guiness-record creatorMatthew Coutler performs a stunt in Elēkrŏn where he drives a quad bike across a wall.

Aerialists perform atop a biplane in Studio City's new stunt show Elēkrŏn

Stuntman perform with electric motorbikes in Elēkrŏn

We review Morpheus, a welcome surprise on Macau’s ‘more-of-the-same’ Cotai Strip

The impressive Zaha Hadid-designed Morpheus hotel, with its stunning exoskeleton-bound glass exterior and luxurious interiors, cannot fail to stand out from the crowd on Macau’s Cotai Strip.

Morpheus retail mall

Morpheus Duplex Villa

Alain Ducasse at Morpheus(Photo credit Pierre Monetta)

Morpheus

Morpheus Executive Suite

Morpheus Yi

The elegant domed Pierre Hermé Lounge, which is located close to the lobby in Morpheus. 

Morpheus pool

Spa Garden

Magazines

Style

News & Trends

Celebrities

True success lies in show’s use of all electric vehicles to convey a contemporary message in the age of climate change


Guinness World Records

Automotive industry

Macau

At Studio City in Macau, ‘Elekron’ brings the post-apocalyptic world to life

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}True success lies in show’s use of all electric vehicles to convey a contemporary message in the age of climate change

True success lies in show’s use of all electric vehicles to convey a contemporary message in the age of climate change