Cirque Berserk at the Harold Pinter Theatre London Review

Reviewed by Emma Rogers

A riot of modern circus entertainment with a party feel and the wow factor!

The premise of the Cirque Berserk show is, ‘The circus for the theatre’ and that’s exactly what this show brings. Without the cold, damp Big Top and problems with parking, the show is brought to the beautiful Harold Pinter Theatre off of Haymarket, London for a short spell on the stage. Before the show opens, it’s difficult to imagine how all of the acts of a circus are brought to such a small stage, and when you see what’s in store, it’s even more impressive although a bit mind blowing!

The show has the classic acts; acrobats, slapstick clowns and dance acts, but then adds a few more acts that look more at home in an impressive Britain’s Got Talent final. We started with the Timbuktu Tumblers; an acrobatic act of 7 street entertainers who use very few props to stage their act, and they do appear several times in the show, to showcase the ability of the human body to lift, fly, hold and literally tumble through fire. Overlapping them are the Bolas Argentinas group who add one of the more unique skills to the show. Starting with drumming, they progress onto bolas, a type of throwing weapon used by Argentinian cowboys. Their act is loud, raucous and mind-blowing especially when they include fire. Later on, we see Germaine Delbosq from France, who is a skilled foot juggler – something I’d never seen before. Some of her stunts are thrilling, and not something you ever want to try yourself!

We see various acrobatic acts including Laci Fossett, who is an altitude pole acrobat, working high up on the stage to demonstrate his strength and skill. Jackie the strap acrobat using the apparatus to show us her skills in mid-air, and Odka, the flexible archer who can fit inside a glass jar and shoot an arrow with her feet! The Tropicana Troupe from Cuba come on stage carrying strange contraptions and wearing even stranger costumes. Between the seven of them, they fly themselves around the stage, landing in all sorts of gymnastic positions and defying gravity. At this point, the children sat around us were whooping and cheering, excited by what they saw but also incredulous to it. The children were just as animated as the stars on the stage!

You could hear the laughter from the audience every time the Mustache Brothers came on stage and performed each of their slapstick routines. Starting off with simple Laurel and Hardy sketches, there is a very exciting visual joke with a rubbish bin and smoke… and again, the children were enthralled, not least because they didn’t understand how it worked. The favourite act of the show for both the adults and the children was the Globe of Death. Lurking in the background on stage all night was this huge spherical metal cage. During both acts, motorbikes turn up on stage then enter the globe. Now, the globe doesn’t look that big, so if I tell you there are 2 motorbikes in there at one time, riding around each other in concentric circles and trying not to hit one another. Suddenly a woman appears and climbs in the cage too, standing in the middle as the bikes ride around them. The second act we see from them is even more dangerous as FOUR bikes turn up on stage and perform stunts inside the globe. It’s mind-blowing to watch them!

There are several other acts, all of which overlap at one point and create a carnival-like atmosphere with the bright clothes, loud music and stunts with life throwing, acrobatics and dancing. They actively encourage the audience to take photos and post on social media as the night carries on, which is a refreshing different to other acts and encourages the children to take part too.

It’s a thrilling evening that everyone can take part in and enjoy, including small children and granny too! We loved it!

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £10 to £55 (no booking fees apply).

Cirque Berserk is at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from 19 April to 7 May 2018, for more information visit www.cirqueberserk.co.uk. To book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/haroldpintertheatre or call the box office on 0844 871 7622.

Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DN | 0844 871 7622