Reviewed by Gemma Ingham
Everywhere seems to be a little circus mad at the moment given the raging success of the movie The Greatest Showman. So the first words out of my 6 year olds mouth when I said we were going to see Zippos Circus Legacy Tour was ‘Oh like on the Greatest Showman?!’ I had to inform her it wouldn’t be quite that Hollywood!
Zippos is a name that is synonymous with circus and conjures up visions of red and white big top dome tents, clowns, magicians, and daredevil circus acts. I’ve been to other circus shows before, but never a Zippos so was keen to see how it compared and whether it would live up to its reputation.
This tour is a bit extra special as worldwide the circus is celebrating 250 years, past, present and future and I thought this concept was very well executed. Throughout, the Ringmaster Norman Barrett MBE would divulge small bits of history about each act, which gave a real feeling of seeing long held traditions come to life.
Whichever circus act you’d like to see, Zippo’s caters for them all. From the Khadikov Riders who recreate the daring equestrian act ‘The Courier of Saint Petersburg’, to acrobatic troupes such as the Hermansito Troupe who do a lot of flying through the air, and Havana Quartet who build human pyramids like I’ve never seen before.
A lot of the acts featured are families, and some like the Totti Alexis Family are now on their sixth generation of circus clown. 6-year-old Charlie makes the cutest clown ever!
One of my personal favourite acts was Paulo dos Santos, an acrobat and showman who inserted himself in almost every act and really help to bring the show together with comedy and the odd little dance thrown in for good measure.
My very favourite act however was Alex Michael, a fearless aerialist who performed his daring acts with no safety device whatsoever. My heart was in my mouth quite a few times while he was upside down 30 feet in the air.
Watching the show brought back the feeling of being a small child watching my first ever circus. Everything felt so big and bright, and I was so pleased to see the awestruck look on my daughters face as she experienced it for the first time. I really loved the warm family feel to the show, and as the Ringmaster said at the end – the younger members of the acts really are the circuses future.
Rating: 5/5
Zippos Circus is at Endcliffe Park in Sheffield from 9-13 August 2018, for more information or to book tickets online visit zippos.co.uk.
Zippos Circus, Endcliffe Park, Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, S11 7AB | 0871 210 2100
