Zippos Circus in Queens Park Glasgow Review
Zippos Circus
presents OMG
Queens Park, Glasgow
13 June 2015
Reviewed by Kayreen Di Folco
When I was invited along to review Zippos Circus, I knew I was in for a great night. My sister and I took along our three kids, 8, 3 and 10 months, who were extremely excited. We were all full of anticipation as nothing can beat the thrill of a good circus act. The more death defying, the better! Zippos 2015 did not let us down! Our emotions went from awe to fear in a matter of seconds.
Queens Park has great public transport access, and plenty parking close by. This was a good location choice. The circus was held in a traditional big top tent, with lighting and flags galore. It was warm inside. Which we were all glad of, as it was a chilly day. The entrance foyer was lovely with red curtains. Lots of staff were on hand to direct us where to go. The box office was also easy to locate as it was placed in front of the entrance in a stand-alone building. We were seated ringside and the view was great. The seating was comfortable with plenty leg room. There was ample access to refreshments, hot food as well as popcorn, sweets and juice. All very tasty!
Now down to the show!
Chart hits played softly in the background as we waited for the show to begin. We were welcomed by the fabulous Norman Barrett, Ringmaster of Zippos 2015, dressed in traditional ringmaster get-up with full top hat and tails. He introduced and welcomed us to the show and instead of switching off our phones, he invited us to take pictures and videos and share with our social media sites. Great! The show began with “Zippos March of Lights” which was an introduction to the whole company, all animals and human acts. The kids (including the baby) were mesmerised with the stunning horses and fantastic light show.
Summer showed off her beautiful horses in a delightful equestrian show with ‘little and large’, one tall horse and a tiny pony! The connection between summer and her horses was clear, she used nothing but verbal prompts and her horses did exactly what she asked. It was a lovely performance.
The Zulu Warriors were next, showing us their exceptional skipping skills! The balancing abilities and strength of these men was amazing, each move left us puzzled on how they were done. The show moved along and we met Salvatore. He amazed us with his Dynamite Diabolo and even used fire! Following him came Stephanie, the extraordinary aerial artist. She was brilliant, performing high above the circus ring with nothing but an umbrella! More and more acts appeared on the stage, each giving us more jaw-dropping moves and abilities. Kremena, the handstand equilibrist; Odka, the girl in the bottle; Duo Galaxy and the wheel of death, who absolutely terrified the whole crowd! Screams were heard! I found myself sitting with my hands over my eyes at one point, looking through my fingers, as I couldn’t look away! The variety of acts was brilliant, the change up every few minutes held the attention of the audience for with whole show. I heard a few gasps and saw a few hands reaching up to mouths throughout the evening.
One recurring theme of the night was The Rastelli Clowns, the unfortunately, clumsy, clowns. They were super, lots and lots of belly laughs watching them. Throughout their acts there were plenty of strategically placed noises, which alone had us laughing! The kids in the audience loved them, and towards the end of the show the audience were cheering and clapping when they arrived back on stage for another instalment of light-hearted silliness.
The other acts included dancers, fire acts, acrobatics, aerobatics, contortionists, balancing acts and acts of amazing strength (Salvatore… WOW!). The show was full of expert showmanship, confidence and superhuman abilities. Norman Barrett graced the audience with his beautiful budgies, his act was just lovely! I doubt there could be anyone who wouldn’t enjoy it.
The kids’ favourite acts were Speedy & Mr N and Summer with her absolutely stunning horses dancing to Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’.
Speedy, a gorgeous little dog and his laughing partner Mr N had us all amazed at how clever one dog can be. Mr N and speedy skipped along together under one rope! Jumping, rolling, balancing and dancing were all part of his act. Summer had us mesmerised again with her stunning display. Her horses performed beautifully, all the kids sang along while enjoying the gorgeous display. My little girl commented on how shiny the horse’s coats were, a clear sign that Summer cares so well for her horses.
The Lucius Team along with Duo Galaxy was one of the most mind-boggling acts I have ever seen. ‘The Globe of Death’, as it is named, had everyone staring in amazement. At the peak of its performance, there were FOUR motorcyclists whizzing around inside the cage. The act also included a very glamorous assistant standing in the middle of the cage with two riders zooming all around her, proving how amazing the act really is. My eyes were darting everywhere trying to watch all participants at the same time. It was staggering!
To sum it up in three words (as one is just not enough), the show was a gripping, captivating and extraordinary show of pure superhuman talents. I think the fact that the end of the show was met by a standing ovation from the Glasgow crowd, young and old, proves how much everyone loved it. My recommendation would be to go and book your tickets NOW! I know the whole family will enjoy it. We can’t wait for next year as the programme explains “NEW SHOW EVERY YEAR”. Exciting!
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £7 to £35, family ticket £60.
Zippos Circus has now left Queens Park and the next stop is Victoria Park in Glasgow (16-21 June 2015). For more information on this and other tour venues or to book tickets visit www.zippos.co.uk.
Victoria Park, Whiteinch, Victoria Park Drive North, G14 9NN | 0871 210 2100
