Cirque Berserk at the Hull New Theatre Review

Cirque Berserk
Hull New Theatre

22-24 January 2015

www.hullcc.gov.uk/hullnewtheatre

Reviewed by Gemma Ingham

My family and I went to review Cirque Berserk at Hull New Theatre. It is described as a family show so I took along my 8 year old nephew so I could see what he thought of it.

Hull New Theatre is a striking building situated in the centre of Hull. Unusually for most city centres there was an abundance of on street parking directly next to the theatre, and a couple of public carparks very close by so finding the theatre and parking was a breeze.

The entrance foyer is quite small but that made it easy to see where the box office was and we were able to collect our tickets quickly and efficiently. Staff were helpful and told us exactly where our seats were. It is a little smaller than most theatres I’ve been to but the seats had plenty of legroom and were comfortable enough.

The stage was already set up and we could see the huge spherical cage for the motorbike act. We had read about this online earlier and my nephew was incredibly excited to see this act so being able to see the equipment for it on the stage kept him happy. Playing in the background was old fashioned circus music which helped to set the atmosphere. Unusually, unlike most productions held in theatres, a request was made over the speakers for audience members to feel free to use their mobile phones, go online, take pictures/video and Facebook and Tweet as much as they wanted as Cirque Berserk is an interactive show.

The show started suddenly with the Kenya boys who bounced, tumbled and balanced their way through their act to the amazement of most kids and adults in the audience. It was amazing to see, set the tone for the rest of show and they did literally jump through hoops.

Without describing each act bit by bit so as to not to spoil it for anyone planning to visit, we were treated to aerialists, balancing acts, juggling (including whole body juggling!), fire acts, dancing, contortionists, knife throwing, archery, and some pretty awesome acrobatics from the Tropicana Troupe involving being catapulted almost to the roof and landing on a chair! It’s hard to describe in words the awesomeness of each act and it really is an experience you must see yourself.

A reoccurring act throughout the show was Tweedy, the poor clumsy clown, who appeared every so often to do his own sketch and provide some light comedy. The kids loved him, as did the adults when he grabbed a couple of members of the audience. My husband was almost crying with laughter at one point.

However, the highlight of the show for us was The Globe Of Death, a spherical cage in which a daredevil stunt is performed with numerous motorbikes at high speeds. At first two motorbikes entered the globe and rode ridiculously fast around a lady stood in the middle. As if that wasn’t jaw dropping enough the lady exited the globe and two more motorbikes entered. Four motorbikes in a small enclosed globe riding around and through each other at high speeds. It really was a daredevil stunt and left my nephew open mouthed.

I would highly recommend Cirque Berserk to families young and old. It’s an enchanting mix of modern and traditional circus acts and I think being declared as ‘epic’ by an 8 year old is all the proof you need to go and book your tickets now.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £16 to £22.

Cirque Berserk is at the Hull New Theatre until 24 January 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01482 300300.

Hull New Theatre, Hull City Council, Kingston Square, Hull, HU1 3HF | 01482 300300