A range of skilled performances, from the very conventional to the more modern.Summary
Rating
Good
Ancient reports tell of a time when circuses were all about real, live animals doing tricks, clowns with red noses and ridiculous cars, and a fat man in a red suit (not Santa) presiding over it all as trapeze artists zoomed overhead.
Acts such as Cirque Du Soleil changed perceptions of circus some time ago, and today expectations are very different. In this preview of a number of the shows appearing over the coming weeks, Revel Puck pitch their big top and give us a taster of what they have to offer the circus visitor in 2025.
Hosted by a female ringmaster (Ringmistress? Ringperson?) who seems enthusiastic but is let down by a slightly iffy sound system, the first couple of acts actually feel rather like throw-backs to an earlier era. In the first, audience members are invited to enter the ring and shine torches on two artists as they perform some dance and acrobatic moves, apparently illustrating themes of trust and risk. If this is the first time you’ve seen someone stand on another person’s shoulders there’s a chance you might find this impressive.
Next up was a roller-skater dancing around the ring and then spinning some hula hoops around her body. Again, this might be an admirable skill, but didn’t strike me as particularly original.
Things look up as we move towards the end of the short first half. A pair of dancers inhabit big top tent-style props while dancing to East 17’s House of Love. This is simple enough, but their act is lifted by the originality of the performance and the ingenious use of their props. This is followed by two more dancers with enormous balloons attached to their heads, into which they proceed to immerse their whole bodies. Again, the concept isn’t complicated but the imagination and brio of the act make it hilarious and joyful, and I was smiling throughout.
After the interval, things take a queer turn and it feels like we are definitely in 21st century Brighton at last. With a lot of young children in the audience, I imagine there will have been several “interesting” family conversations after the show, and if this served as an early introduction to life outside the heteronormative bubble, then so much the better. I saw one boy of maybe 10 or 12 with his eyes wide as saucers and hands clamped over his mouth in amazement as the gorgeous Lucinda B. Hind, whose vertiginous platform heels are impressive enough, performs an acrobatic striptease which left her in nothing but glittery nipple tassels and modesty pouch. That kid is unlikely to forget the experience in a hurry, and hopefully his parents will have used it as the start of a constructive conversation.
The Revel Puck Circus runs throughout Brighton Fringe, and as this opening gala demonstrates, provides a showcase for both traditional and edgier circus acts, so visitors should have no trouble finding themselves something which suits their particular tastes.
The Revel Puck Circus plays until 1 June at Brighton Fringe.
