Cirque Berserk at the Mayflower Theatre Southampton Review
Cirque Berserk
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
29 February to 2 March 2016
Reviewed by Angela Paull
Last night we went to see Cirque Berserk at the Southampton Mayflower theatre. The theatre is in the heart of the city with plenty of nearby parking. It has a bright welcoming foyer, lots of friendly staff and a beautiful interior.
But can you really stage a circus in a theatre? By and large, I think the answer is a resounding yes! Cirque Berserk is at its heart a traditional circus – with acrobats, a clown, jugglers and knife throwers, all things you associate with a traditional Big Top Circus tent. The stage was set with a massive spherical cage but otherwise fairly empty.
There was never a dull moment, with something happening on stage from start to finish and we were amazed when the interval came, as the first 45 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The incredibly athletic “Timbuktu Tumblers” opened the proceedings with an impressive display of acrobatics and balance and had regular spots throughout the show. “Bolas Argentinas” created a dance using their weapons and the Duo Ramona & Matti showcased a very impressive balancing act. We had aerial displays courtesy of Jackie, a strap acrobat who made me gasp on more than one occasion and the “Tropicana Troupe” who catapulted themselves up amongst the stage lighting with their springboard routine.
A circus, of course, is not a circus without the resident clown and this role was well filled by Tweedy. A Scottish master of slapstick, he certainly raised several laughs from the younger members of the audience with his routines of entanglement, tripping and general clumsiness (very well choreographed of course!). His routines involved a few unsuspecting members of the audience too – so be prepared if you have a foot row seat.
The second half of the production had a more “travelling show” feel about it with lots of quick fire acts. Toni threw a selection of knives and axes at his, very trusting, wife, handbalancer Kremena demonstrated some impressive upper body strength and balance and a very bendy contortionist named Odka emerged from a teensy glass jar to perform archery. Together with a brief show of chair balancing from Zula, Billy the large “fire” throwing robot and some extremely impressive foot juggling by Germaine Delboso, the second half passed just as quickly as the first.
But what of the massive spherical cage? Well this was the domain of possibly the most gasp inducing act of the night. Called the Globe of Terror this act was the close for both parts of the show. For those who can remember the “Wall of Death”, that used to be a regular feature at travelling fairs, this act was a souped up version using multiple motorbikes, all whizzing around in the globe. Dangerous? Oh yes but certainly very impressive. The Lucius Team should be congratulated for being able to pull off such a daredevil stunt with such apparent ease – I felt quite nervous just watching it!
The lighting and sound added to the drama of all the acts throughout the show and they achieved a good balance of stuff to appeal to all members of the audience, which had a very mixed age range – from toddlers to pensioners. There were some super costumes too – very traditional but with a nod to Steampunk styling here and there.
Overall there was definitely something for everyone. There were a few acts I might have liked to have seen more of and at one point with tumblers on the stage and hoop artists hanging from the ceiling it was impossible to appreciate either fully as there was just too much going on at once.
It certainly proved that you don’t need a Big Top to host a circus – a real piece of rip roaring family entertainment.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £15 to £25 (booking fees may apply).
Cirque Berserk is at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton until 2 March 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 02380 711811.
Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE | 02380 711811
