OVO - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London

*****

Written, choreographed and directed by Deborah Colker

Cirque Du Soleil's crickets leaping in the Royal Albert Hall

Just opened for their annual residency at the Royal Albert Hall, Cirque Du Soleil’s OVO dives down into the long grass, transporting its audience into a stunning world of bugs and creepy-crawlies, all depicted through a cast of ridiculously talented circus performers.

As a mysterious egg appears on stage, three clowns (Mateo Amieva (Spain), Robin Beer (UK) and Neiva Nascimento (Brazil) respectively performing as a scarab beetle, a bluebottle and a ladybug) break the ice with slick comedy and audience interaction. As is the hallmark of all good circus productions, recognisable dialogue is out – the performers relying on their miming skills to tell their brief moments of narrative. The emphasis here is on laughter rather than bravado and within minutes these gifted insects have the audience in the palm of their claws.

With the crowd suitably warmed up, five ants (a troupe from China) snake their way onto the stage, before they flip themselves onto their backs and start juggling, with their feet, first kiwi fruit and then corn cobs and finally each other! The artistes’ skill and co-ordination is frankly mind-boggling.

Before our eyes Caitlin Quinn and Ernesto Lea Place, from North and South America respectively, emerge as moths with breathtaking aerialist skills before the Japanese Eisuke Saito, here depicting a weevil, juggles 5 luminescent diabolos that brilliantly suggest fireflies darting around the arena. The first half of the evening wraps up with beetles suggested by a multinational troupe of trapeze artists, taking our collective breath away as they loop and leap between lofty platforms suspended from the venue’s ceiling.

Six performers wriggle onto the stage as leaf-bearing fleas before launching an assault on the Chinese Poles, which all paves the way for the show’s arachnids to be on display, the Chinese Qiu Jiangming deftly treating the slackwire as though it were spun silk. Also as a spider, Mongolian Nyamgerel Gankhuyag contorts herself into apparently impossible permutations of the human form as she lithely prowls in search of prey.

The evening’s final act is left to the crickets who bounce themselves off and back onto a trampo-wall of impossible height. Such is their pinpoint co-ordinated timing that the act becomes a blur of green people literally taking flight before our eyes!

Yet again, Cirque Du Soleil deploys meticulous planning, rehearsal, strength and above all skill, to present to their audiences a show that fuses the laws of physics into the absolute limits that a human body can endure. With a cast of more than 50 plus a stunning band to deliver the evening’s live score, the tickets are worth every penny. OVO is breathtakingly beautiful.

Runs until 1st March

Photo credit: Anne-Marie Forker

Corteo - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London

****

Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca 

Valentenya Paylevanyan

Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo has spectacularly arrived at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the company’s traditional Winter residence. The beauty of this particular show is that the festivities, joy and wonder commonly associated with the circus are combined with imagining what lies beyond life on Earth, as it follows the vivid imagination and dreams of a clown named Mauro.  What follows is a breathtaking display of skill, artistry, strength and story telling as only Cirque Du Soleil know how.

Much of the narrative takes place in a carnival like setting with the traverse stage full of jugglers, dazzling costumes and fabulous music. There are moments though, when the stage is more bare and the act more nuanced such that the show can feel a little lost in the huge auditorium.

Of course there are some standalone performances across the show. In the first act particularly, Ukrainian Valentenya Paylevanyan has the entire audience in the palm of her hand, or rather her in the palm of their hands as she floats and flies merely by the force of 4 giant helium balloons and bounced around the auditorium. 

The second half is a snappier affair, filled with some simply death-defying stunts. Ranging from Duo Straps, an aerial routine performed by Hitomi Kinokyuniya (Japan) & Oleksandr Kunytsky (Ukraine) to Roman Munim (Russia) and his Acro Ladder which at one point has the entire audience breathless and silent as he climbed to the top step the ladder. 

Corteo takes us from childhood memories such as bouncing on the bed and pillow flights or playing with puppets and dolls, right through to ex-lovers and partners in a form & style that is, as always, unique. Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, there are so many aspects of growing up and life that are included within the show, with Pasca rarely missing a beat. 

Occasionally in the slapstick scenes - performed mostly in Italian - the storyline becomes a little blurred. That being said, some of the visual moments and concepts as Mauro, played by Stephane Gentilini (France), explores not only his funeral but also his journey to heaven is truly beautiful and even at times, dare one say, comforting.

At a time when the world can in so many ways feel divided, it is a pleasure to witness the 58 strong group of performers and musicians from across the globe come together to form this insanely talented company. While Corteo could do with some tightening up in places, as a spectacle it’s flawless and an opportunity to see some of the best in the world soaring to dizzy new heights!

Runs until 2nd March

Photo credit: Anne-Marie Forker

Alegria In A New Light - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London

*****

Flying Trapeze

In the revival and enhancement of one of Cirque du Soleil’s finest shows, Alegria In A New Light is perhaps the most beautiful of the company’s productions to have been staged in the capital. The evening’s skilled serenity is quite simply circus at its finest.

Unlike previous recent Cirque du Soleil shows, the music here is performed live with Vincent Cordel leading his 5-piece band, and ethereal backing vocals provided by Sarah Manesse and Cassia Raquel. In most of the recent years the soundtrack has been a (beautifully created) recording . Here , with the performers on stage, there is an added texture to the music with the sound perfectly balanced to the Royal Albert Hall’s challenging acoustics.

Of course the evening’s circus acts are just spectacular. Early on in the show there are impressive acts of human pyramids being formed while balancing on long scaffold poles. The timing, fitness and skill of the artistes proving, as always, stunning.

Alegria In A New Light is in some ways more traditional than the typical left-field Cirque du Soleil approach. The evening’s ethos feeling more utopian than dystopian - channelling beauty into every second of performance. There’s a pair of Spanish clowns who through mine and physical comedy, deliver a turn that’s sublime. And the transformation of the hall’s cavernous interior into a blizzard-swept landscape is breathtaking in its audacity.

The aerial work is typically magnificent in any circus show. What makes it even more so at the Royal Albert Hall are the lofty heights that the performers work from. The hoisting and stretching of the safety net signals the descent of the flying trapeze rigging - from which a cavalcade of 10 performers flop, whirl and somersault through the air, the view becoming a blur of bodies as the split-second synchronicity plays on high. A spectacular end to an exquisite evening.

Circus doesn’t get better than this.

Runs until 3rd March

Cirque Berserk - Review

Riverside Studios, London

*****

Elberel

Zippos bring their circus back to London and as ever in a punchy 90 minutes (+ half time interval) their acts are a display of supreme human strength and talent.

The acts on display are all traditional but, without a big-top tent to perform in, are scaled down to the dimensions of a traditional stage - on this occasion the versatile space of Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios.

What’s so enchanting (if Cirque Berserk can even be called enchanting!) about the show is the close-up intimacy of the performers. We hear their calls that co-ordinate their split-second synchronisations, we see their muscles flex and tremble, evidencing the power that underlies their graceful movement and we inhale the brutal aromas of their acts. The smoke from the flaming limbo bar, the haze of fireworks from the occasional bursts of pyro and the smell of the roaring motorcycle engines defying gravity as the bikes of the Lucius Team spin within the Globe of Death.

Above all Cirque Berserk perform acts that to our muggle minds are literally beyond belief. Be it trapeze work and aerialist magnificence, or pyramids of humanity that reach to the Riverside’s lighting rigs, or Elberel, a contortionist able to fire an arrow from a longbow - and score a bullseye! - and that’s without mentioning the juggling, knife and axe-throwing that had this reviewer looking away in terror!

And interspersed throughout is physical comedy led by the diminutive Paulo, who is not only a sublime clown in the most modern interpretation of that word, but also shows himself to be a breathtaking aerialist too.

This is not just brilliant circus,it is affordable and accessible circus too. For half-term family entertainment, Cirque Berserk is the best value show in town.

Runs until 12th March

Photo credit: Piet Hein-Out

Cirque du Soleil - Kurios - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London

*****

Kurios at the Royal Albert Hall sees the inspirational Cirque du Soleil company make a welcome return to an evening built around the quirks of life, demonstrated through the excellence of human talent. In a show first presented in 2014 there’s no environmental homily or sanctimonious preaching  on offer here. Kurios - The Cabinet of Curiosities is a montage of unashamedly gritty Victoriana.

Strip away the steampunk however and the traditional circus skills on display are breathtaking. The Banquine troupe offer up a jaw- dropping construct of human pyramids the strengths and heights of which are just a joy to behold. Studying the cast list one learns that the troupe all hail from the former Soviet Union, including Russian and Ukrainian athletes. In this show these men are trusting each other with their lives. One can but weep at the beauty that this act represents. 

Also from Ukraine, Andrii Bondarenko handbalances his way from the stage to the ceiling - leaving a dinner party down below and encountering a mirror image ensemble suspended upside down from the Royal Albert Hall’s acoustic flying saucers! The act has to be seen to be believed.

Of course there are acts of juggling and contortion that defy our sense of belief with moments of comedy thrown in - almost all through mime - that provide the foundation for a fabulous family show.

Some of the theming may be a tad obscure for the little ones - but they’ll still be stunned by the human wizardry on display here. The ropes and pulleys may be sophisticated and state of the art - but the talent that uses them to soar around the hall’s cavernous interior is traditional human genius at its best.

Runs until 5th March

Luzia - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London

****

Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca

After a Covid-induced interregnum exceeding 600 days, Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia returns to the Royal Albert Hall, reprising its Mexican themed extravaganza of human skills and water-based artistry.

As is nearly always the case in touring circuses that pitch up in the capital, the physical talent on display is stunning. The power, stamina, precision, courage and sheer human genius of the aerialists, pole artistes, trapeze performers and many more defies our understanding and we rightly gasp in awe at the skills on display before us. What is not the case for most touring shows however is the price tag. At Luzia most adult tickets sold at less than £100 will deliver a restricted view, while for the best seats in the house, the cost edges closer to £300 each. 

Is it worth it? Well for 2 ½ hours – including a 25 minute interval – the circus craft on display is world class. Combining mime, physical theatre and music – with supreme physical agility, Mexican culture ranging from the Aztecs through to the nation’s renowned talents with a football are cleverly interweaved. There is some gorgeous animal work too, including a horse and a big cat, cleverly brought to life by their human puppeteers.

Rain and water form a large part of the evening’s imagery, with a fiendishly smart spray arm sitting above the revolving stage and a centre pool. From here, sheets of water not only offer an enchanting backdrop to some acts, they also deliver up some clever images captured in the rhythm of the cascading drops. Ingenious? For sure. But these waterworks display the talent of designers and technicians, supported by state of the art technology. For decades, the essence of Cirque du Soleil's magic has been drawn from its displays of human talent, wowing audiences with unimaginable feats of strength and style that are live, vibrant and risky. By contrast, this aquatic display of digital wizardry could arguably be better presented around the corner at London’s Science Museum.

With a cast of 50 and a backstage crew of at least equal numbers, Luzia is lavish and, for the most part, great fun. For sure this is a feast for the eyes, including the eye-watering skills of Russian contortionist Aleksei Goloborodko who shows his body to be far more serpentine than the famous pond that’s just across the road. But at the risk of sounding churlish, alongside the show's unquestioned beauty and talent, more death-defying acts wouldn’t have gone amiss. From Holland, the appropriately named Fool Koller delivers occasional clown routines that are at times more subtle than hilarious.

In Hamlet, Gertrude asks for “more matter with less art” and there are moments in Luzia when that sentiment rings true. But where a family of four will need to spend close to a grand for ringside seats with a view, one cannot help but recall the words of Phineas T. Barnum...

Runs until 27 February 2022

Circus 1903 - Review

Royal Festival Hall, London

****

 

The company of Circus 1903

The third European season of Circus 1903 opened its Golden Age of Circus show on London’s South Bank with a spectacular array of acts. Managed throughout by Ringmaster Willy Whipsnade (David Williamson) who is also an award-winning magician, the evening wonderfully engages with both kids and adults alike.  

With laughs and cheerfulness, the show depicts an early USA as spectacular high-flying acrobatics from the Daring Desafios represent the gargantuan task of transforming the country from an untamed wilderness to the New World with vast networks of railroads evolving. Cleverly, the act also suggests the wagon shows of the era. 

Excellent aerial work continues with acts from both the Flying Fredonis and Les Incredibles. Amid high-flying somersaults the performers are not just beautiful, but romantic, skilful, and melt hearts as they display eye contact, smiles and gentle gestures that demonstrate an incredible mutual trust alongside their strength and skills. 

The circus’ performing elephants are brought to life via ingenious puppetry that emanates from creative talents learned at the National Theatre’s  War Horse stable. The animals’ detailed designs demonstrate the perfect control and mechanical genius of the skilful puppeteers (three in the larger Queenie and one in the baby Peanut) - somehow even conveying not just movement but emotion, happiness and disappointments as the show goes on.

Circus 1903 isn’t just about the incredible acts, drawn from around the world, it is also inspirational. When Willy asked himself “Why do I love magic?” – he answered touchingly “It is years practice and rehearsing, passed on through generations, hours and hours of time but it will live forever in our memories” – so true. 

The second half of the show involved more interactions with children from the audience, dance, acrobatics, finishing with the terrifying Wheel of Death.

Circus 1903 provides a perfectly enjoyable circus experience with its combination of lights, music, staging, sets and highly skilled performers. This is an amazing production with an intimate atmosphere, relaxed setting and a thoroughly family-friendly ambience.

Runs until 2nd January 2022

Photo credit: Dan Tsantilis

Guest reviewer: Qing Miao

Luminosa - Review

Jacksons Lane, London

****

Lawrence Swaddle and Tasha Rushbrooke

Luminosa from the UK’s Lost In Translation circus company is a novel interpretation of the classic circus show with a wonderfully executed combination of acrobatics, gymnastics and comedy, all set off with a cabaret-style band in accompaniment throughout.

For the most part this is a family-focused show that starts with a high octane aerial performance that sets the tone for the remainder of the evening. As is to be expected, the skills of the Luminosa troupe combine jaw-dropping human talent with, at times, death-defying bravado! 

Accompanied by three assistant reviewers aged 6, 8 and 10 the entire JonathanBaz.com review squad were held enthralled throughout. Praise from the three children included:

“The foot juggler impressed with the number of balls she juggled without dropping any of them!” 

“The astonishing human trapeze filled Jacksons Lane with awe, as the acrobat somersaulted in the air”

“After an exhilarating performance, I was amazed as to what this group of acrobats can do. They showed plenty of teamwork and resilience in making this exciting performance” 

Shortly to tour the UK, Luminosa makes for a fantastic evening’s entertainment.

Plays at Jackson Lane until 29th September, then tours - details here

Photo credit: Alex Brenner

Cirque Berserk - Review

Garrick Theatre, London

****

Returning to London's West End, Cirque Berserk deliver an evening of timeless human genius.

Bursting onto the stage like a pride of lions huddled together in perfect unison, were 7 agile men that hooked the audience into the very first extraordinary act of the night. The Timbuktu Tumblers, so aptly named, dazzled the crowd with their acrobatic prowess. The way they held each other up creating several different and quite literally, man-made structures, with such ease is a sight to behold. The danger was ramped up later in their routine when they danced under fire limbo sticks, with nothing short of a whispers breath between the floor and the flaming bar! A marvellous and rare performance to behold.

Another mesmerising act of the night comes from a more traditional circus acrobatic troupe, heralding from Mongolia these acrobats were flying through the air as a fish swims through the ocean. Traditional trapeze artistry accompanied by death defying gymnastic stunts kept the audience clapping through there whole act. One of their stunts being so dangerous a safety mat is required to prevent serious injury or death. Demonstrating both beauty and skill, their ribbon bound performance mesmerised adults and children alike. The tranquil, yet energetic music matched the way they moved so perfectly entwined with the silk, it was impossible to look away. A pin drop could have been heard amongst the audience, for all eyes were entranced by the talented act. 

Special mention must be given to 3ft 6inch tall comic, acrobat and showman Paulo Dos Santos who inadvertently came on stage between acts. His is a silly yet charmingly brilliant turn, one which engaged the children and kept them on their toes, with nuances that only the adults would understand to keep them giggling. It truly was a fulfilling sight to behold when a man who was from first initial reception seen as merely there to fill some laughs on stage, was also able to also perform some of the most challenging circus acts of the night. A touching tribute to the show.

The finale, a diesel fuelled spine tingling danger act was truly the definition of ‘Berserkus’. The Lucius team a group of professional dirt bike riders and the Globe of Death. Up to three riders flying inside the globe riding upside down while practically touching elbows as they zoom past each other at upwards of 60mph. A wild finish to an exhilarating show that, for family entertainment in the West End, is up there with the best.

Runs until 11th September. Tickets available here

Reviewed by Christian Yeomans

Photo credit: Piet-Hein Out

Luzia - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London

*****

Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca

A moment in Luzia

Cirque du Soleil’s latest show Luzia is currently playing in the company’s seasonal London home of the Royal Albert Hall. Drawn from Mexican inspirations, the show provides a homage to this Latin American nation that reflects much of the country’s culture.

Mexican history, its climate, its art and its dance are all woven into Cirque du Soleil’s imaginative interpretation. Daniele Finzi Pasca has written and directed the spectacle with the programme including a touching tribute to Julie Hamelin who co-concieved Luzia with Finzi Pasca in 2016 but sadly died before this premiere. Much of the visual majesty of the show is also due to Patricia Ruel, its director of creation.

As is to be expected with Cirque du Soleil the skills on display are breathtaking – the aerial work on ropes and trapezes defies gravity almost heart-stoppingly, while the animal puppetry completely convinced in its depictions of horses and leopards – the talents of course extending to the clowning, achieving a hilarious performance solely through the use of outstanding physical theatre.

Moments of exquisite beauty arose in a balletic performance in which the ballerina was so perfectly poised she could have resembled a music-box figurine, matched only by a reptilian performer who displayed a snake-like ability to contort his frame that shocked and enthralled simultaneously.

And throughout, the live music and vocals alongside the design of the show - that include torrential Mexican rains pouring down inside the Royal Albert Hall - never ceases to amaze.

It is barely possible to capture the detailed, magical excellence of a Cirque du Soleil performance. Luzia maintains the company’s exceptional standards, and offers an unmissable evening of world class entertainment.

Runs until 1st March

Photo credit: Matt Beard

Guest reviewer: Kirsty Herrington

Lexicon - Review

The Roundhouse, London

****

Auteur / Directed by Firenza Guidi

Lexicon from No Fit State is a circus show that opens with a row of antiquated school desks set out on the stage - but no sooner have this talented company appeared then the desks, complete with their riotous pupils are hoisted aloft, soaring into The Roundhouse's cavernous space. The desks may be Hogwarts, but there's no fancy CGI that makes this furniture fly. This is classic steampunk, with the flying and stunning visuals of the evening created simply by pure human talent. Skills that show a mastery of strength, agility, and precisely rehearsed movements, defying gravity amidst a flurry of lights, ropes and counterbalancing performers who rise and fall alongside the the shows steel frame.

Traditional circus but with a defiantly modern, cutting edge, Lexicon's live music sets a stunning pulse to the evening, with a backing that ranges from folk, to rock to balladry. And the acts are just so imaginative, this is circus without any boring bits! The clowning is crazy, the fire play fabulous and the high wire and aerial work, breathtaking. Imaginatively and simply costumed throughout, as a Double Rope artiste sheds her gown from aloft (no nudity at all) the show also defines itself as provocatively, if subtly, sexual too.

Lexicon's final act sees a gothic human mobile - think of the toy suspended over a baby's cot - only magnified x 100 to human proportions. The imagery and the effect are unforgettable.

And it is that combination of visual extravagance alongside ingenious subtlety that makes this an event for all ages and outstanding entertainment.

Runs until January 18th

Photo credit: David Levene

Cirque Berserk - Review

Peacock Theatre, London

****

Germaine Delbosq

There’s a gritty sense of unpretentious wonder at Cirque Berserk’s touring show, currently playing at the Peacock Theatre in central London. Forget that other show across town with its overpriced seats, in an oversized arena – this sensational circus couldn’t be more traditional if it tried.

2018 marks the 5th year that Zippos have sent their Berserk show on the road and the assembled talent is astonishing. There are neither live animals here, nor human freaks to be gawked at – rather a collection of ridiculously skilled individuals many of whom, literally, have circus in their blood.

Germaine Delbosq (a 12th generation circus performer) juggles fire – with her feet! And when she’s not doing that, alongside husband Gabriel she performs an astonishing routine that combines the pulse of flamenco with the hypnotic swing of Argentinian bolas.

Czech Toni (6th generation circus) throws knives at his 7th generation wife as she spins on a wheel; the Tropicana troupe soar through the air via the simple use of human bodies propelled from see-saws. Using only gravity and skill two men jump, sending a third man up to the height of the Peacock’s lighting gantries and landing him in a chair! In a truly wicked act, defying gravity is re-defined. 

There is loads more to enjoy, as between the acts Tweedy the Clown (1st generation, trained in circus skills after leaving school) delivers a cracking routine of classic physical comedy and slapstick. These gags and acts are centuries old and yet, in the hands (and legs and bodies) of this tremendous troupe, their acts seem timeless and eternal.

A nod to the 21st century comes with the finale to both acts as the Lucius Team's four motorcyclists, engines revving, enter a steel mesh sphere. Accelerating to 60mph the bikers weave a meticulously choreographed routine amongst themselves, with centimetres to spare. Death defying, literally.

The Lucius Team

At Cirque Berserk, with no special effects or illusions, what you see is what you get. Accessibly marketed (the top price at the Peacock will get you a restricted view at the Royal Albert Hall) this is a show that families can afford and all generations will enjoy. Prise your kids away from their screens – entertainment does not come more perfectly performed.

At the Peacock Theatre until 17th February, then on tour. Tour dates here

Photo credits: Piet Hein-Out