The inter-continental spectacle of Circus 1903 is a nostalgic dream of popular imagination, merging half-remembered histories with modern-day acts more usually seen inside a Big Top or dedicated circus building than in the theatres receiving this tour.
‘Strangely life-affirming’: Fram & Dunt – Roundhouse
Fram and Dunt, directed by Ellie Dubois for Collectif paints the fragility and unpredictably of life and death in a refreshing, light-hearted and strangely life-affirming manner.
CIRCUS DIARIES: ‘Vu’ by Sacékripa
A low coffee table sits before us, its woodgrain perpendicular to that of the boarded stage, laid with a glass mug diagonally sandwiched between an upright sugar cuboid in one corner and a bowl of fluffy pink and white marshmallows in the other.
CIRCUS DIARIES: ‘Vu’ by Sacékripa
A low coffee table sits before us, its woodgrain perpendicular to that of the boarded stage, laid with a glass mug diagonally sandwiched between an upright sugar cuboid in one corner and a bowl of fluffy pink and white marshmallows in the other.
‘A good introduction to Cirque’s signature style’: OVO – Royal Albert Hall
Cirque du Soleil have brought another of their spectacular shows to the Royal Albert Hall as they do every January, and this one is going to extend their stay by touring to several venues around the UK as the year goes on. Great news for those who live too far to have seen the Canadian entertainment giants in London, but I do wish they’d picked a stronger show to share than Ovo.
SANTA MADERA by Cie MPTA – London International Mime Festival
Compagnie MPTA are a regularly returning company to the London International Mime Festival with their forward-thinking and beautifully presented contemporary circus.
‘A rollicking good night out’: LA SOIREE – West End
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the sensuous experience of watching a circus show, and how reviews – coming generally from a theatrical tradition – usually privilege the conceptual meaning of a production over the sensational meanings written through our physiological responses. This is an attempt not to do that!
CIRCUS DIARIES: Around
Avoiding the stereotypes of circus nostalgia, the show nonetheless manages to use the tropes of classical circus in a way that feels fresh and resonant to contemporary youngsters.
CIRCUS DIARIES: As a Tiger in the Jungle
A girl sits huddled inside an aerial cage, a sphere suspended in space, tethered to the figure of Aman Tamang, glittering in the darkness behind a sail-like rigging structure, which combines with three further struts that form a teepee shape over the stage
THE CIRCUS DIARIES: Uncle Sam’s Great American Circus
A big red, white ‘n’ blue tent sits in the corner of the park, surrounded by big American style trucks to match, all emblazoned with circus imagery for Uncle Sam’s Great American Circus. Don’t expect to see any real Americans, but do prepare yourself for a polished representation of what popular imagination says a circus should be.
THE CIRCUS DIARIES: Aceleré
Stalking in with a whisper and out with a boom, Circolombia are on a Welsh stage for the first time, bringing their urban energy and Latin rhythms to Bangor’s purpose built circus centre with Aceleré.
THE CIRCUS DIARIES: Close Encounters
Watch our video review of Briefs’ latest show, straight from London and featuring our own close encounter with guest critic Laura Kressly.
THE CIRCUS DIARIES: Lunatique
A white circus tent with strings of fairy lights and goblin-sculpture guardians sits under the trees in the University of Muenster’s campus grounds. During the day it has been home to an international conference of circademics, but evening brings a decided air of fantasy.
CIRCUS DIARIES: Hyena
Beautiful singing from Lil Rice and the compositions of Ollie Clark, which warm us with percussion-conjured cicadas, bullfrogs and buried tribal memories, are as enveloping as I remember. The shapes that appear between bodies and metal bands are as lushly developed, precisely positioned and technically impressive as I’d hoped.
CIRCUS DIARIES: The Band
Inside the art warehouse space of the Invisible Wind Factory, the smell of incense, free glitter and revolving ceiling decor have already set the scene for the height of Bruno & Sandy’s seventies splendour. Glinting racks of sequinned costumes and gold discs onstage fit right in, as big seventies voices sing slow-dance songs that give way to applause for the pair’s entrance.
CIRCUS DIARIES: Gostinitsa
Last time I saw circus mixed with flapper era razzle-dazzle and golden-age Hollywood themes, it was in the Broadway musical debut of Cirque Du Soleil, Paramour. Now, Gostinitsa – the outstanding new show from Moscow State Circus – takes the same glamorous aesthetic but eschews attempts at plot, setting its high-skill acts within the comings and goings of a fantasy hotel.
CIRCUS DIARIES: Any Port In A Storm
Dressing up boxes, jewels, and the English countryside are three of the prominent phrases that stick in my mind from the Giffords Circus website. And, as if by magic, they have all been brought to life in the quintessentially quaint circus pitch in the fields of Fennells Farm, and in the Elizabethan opulence that waits inside the bright white tent.
CIRCUS DIARIES: Circus Zyair
Circus Zyair was one of the first classic tenting companies I ever saw, back in 2014. I remember loving the show, and the review I wrote has been consistently one of the most visited pages of this site ever since. But now I wonder, ‘What if that was my inexperience with the form showing? If I saw the same production now would it still impress?’
CIRCUS DIARIES: Mooky & Mr Boo’s Circus Spectacular
Mooky, as interpreted by Laci Endresz Jr, is the third-generational incarnation of the clown, and the show is built around his character and the teasing interactions played out with his brother, the charmingly pompous ringmaster Mr Boo (Tom ‘Bubu’ Endresz – the pair are brothers in real life too).
CIRCUS DIARIES: It’s Not Yet Midnight
The first time I saw Cie XY in their latest show, It’s Not Yet Midnight (or, as it was then, titled in its original French, Il N’est Pas Encore Minuit), I knew nothing of what to expect, except that there would be some hand-to-hand involved.