Circa
Modern circus at the Spiegeltent
My bum hurts. I’m sat on a hard wooden bench, in a tent, in a public park. This would normally be cause for endless whining, but not tonight. Tonight is Circa night.
An absurdly bendy lot, the Australian circus artists premiered their new project What Will Have Been in Chapelfield Gardens. Circa are global renowned for extreme acrobatics and emotive spectacle, so my expectations were high. Watching them in the Adams Spiegeltent was incredible. The stage was placed in the centre of the cabaret style-tent, with the audience encircling the performers. Naturally, this formation created a stunningly intimate atmosphere. When Lauren Hearly, Lewie West and Daniel O’Brien perfected inhuman acrobatic acts, we could see every muscle rippling, every changing facial expression.
Circa were as dramatic as they were entertaining. Through painstaking movement, the trio exuded savagery and tenderness. The soundtrack was a winner too. Bach, The Velvet Underground and some seriously atmospheric electronic numbers infused the performance with extra beauty.
Overall, Circa in the Spiegeltent made for a refreshingly different Sunday night. A woman hanging from the ceiling with one hand. A man holding another’s weight with his neck. A three-person roly-poly.
It certainly beat Netflix, and I highly recommend it to you all. For gasps, woops and ferocious applause, head down to the Adnams Spiegeltent . Plonk yourself on a steely wooden bench, and be amazed.
9/10
