Moscow State Circus
The Quarry, Shrewsbury
Reviewed by Joanne Watson
WOW WOW WOW!
That was literally what I was saying all the way through this show. It was OUSTANDING! I don’t even know if I have enough words in my vocabulary to express how fantastic this show was.
At 32, I had never ever been to a circus before, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to go. I felt really fortunate that my first experience was going to be with the famous ‘The Moscow State Circus’, seeing them perform their latest tour, ‘Park Gorkogo’. I took my partner, my 7 year old son and his friend, and all 4 of us were glued to our seats throughout and our eyes never left the performance.
From the minute I sat down, I felt the magic of the circus rush over me, and I was literally on the edge of my seat from the start to finish. Considering that this is a touring show, the quality of the set was amazing, and despite the incredibly dangerous stunts that were being performed, I could see that everything was safe and secure which put me at ease! It was a professional, polished show, which I cannot fault in any way.
The show opened with two ‘clowns’ who were soon surrounded by a group of flying, back flipping, juggling & roller skating performers – a taster of what was to come! Had that been all I had seen, I would have been impressed. What an opening to a show! I wondered whether they could keep up this level of performance, and I most certainly was not disappointed! All the acts were flawless, awesome, captivating and breathtaking.
There was a roller skating trio, where the skaters performed a range of amazing skills, and at one point they were hanging on literally by their necks. They did things on roller skates I didn’t even know were possible! Three women hung from a revolving aerial ring, defying gravity, twisting and turning at speed without a hesitation. A young, muscular man, balanced on his hands, and bent his body in to shapes I wouldn’t have thought possible had I not witnessed it with my own eyes. Then there were the jugglers – they had my son and his friend staring in awe, their mouths set in permanent ‘O’ shapes! Their juggling on the ground was outstanding, but then they progressed to juggling, while balancing upside down, at the top of poles. And if this wasn’t enough they then juggled at the top of poles, in the dark with glow in dark clubs! Truly amazing.
One of the scariest acts was the ‘whip cracking duo’, who cracked whips at an amazing speed, and then progressed to various stunts. They took turns holding straws in their mouths and used the whips to cut straws in half. A millimetre out and there would have been bloody shed! Honestly breath-taking.
But for me the best act was the flying trapeze artists. I can honestly say it was THE most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. The trapeze artists were literally flying across the top of our heads and catching each other mid air. It was flawless. Again, had the performers been even a split second late with a throw or a catch, it would have been a disaster. I was on the edge of my seat, my heart in my mouth! Of course, the act went with out a hitch and left me speechless.
All the performers had impeccable timing, looked amazing and must have the highest level of trust known in a person.
I cannot recommend this higher. It is worth every penny, and is suitable for all, from the very old to the very young. If you have been put off by circuses in the past, you must give the Moscow State Circus a go – I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
I want to give this an infinite amount of stars to do it justice, but as I’m limited to 5, it will have to be a very definite 5/5!!
Rating: 5/5 
The Moscow State Circus is currently on its UK tour, for more details or to book tickets click here.
