Cirque Berserk

Roll up, roll up! Ladies and Gentlemen, the most berserk show has arrived in town for your entertainment…and what a breath-taking spectacle it is!

With its combination of traditional circus acts and daredevil stunts, CIRQUE BERSERK is bound to please young and old! We are talking a touring circus troupe with international artists from West Africa, South- and Central America but also from France, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Mongolia, England and Scotland. Phew!
The Timbuktu Tumblers are a truly flexible bunch who left us gasping with their high-octane display of human pyramids, dancing through fire-lit limbo poles, jumping through hoops and rope bouncing. Next up were Bolas Argentinas and although Gabriel stems from Argentina, foot juggler Germaine hails from France. This act consists of using bolas (a weapon used by gauchos to capture animals) in a musical or rather rhythmical way. Gabriel and Germaine are literally playing with these weights that are interconnected at each end with a cord. While a third female member Carina took to the drums the other two whirled and swirled the bolas and by doing so, whipped themselves and the audience into a frenzy. Jose & Gaby from Columbia demonstrated acrobatic skills combined with ballet-like elegance. It all looks so effortless though I can only guess as to how many hours of rehearsing went into their performance!

The Tropicana Troupe from Cuba consists of six male and one female member and their awesome act involves springboards which catapults them high into the air performing somersaults, flick flacks and other stunts. I wouldn’t dare to even think about it. Particularly intriguing are the troupes’ warrior-style helmets decorated with feathers. Strap acrobat Jackie from the UK performed tricks high up in the air which left you dizzy watching, while her male counterpart Laci Fossett (also from the UK) not only demonstrated his artistic skills on the aerial pole but also appeared on stage as a gigantic, fantastical and fire-spewing robot.
On the Mongolian front we witnessed Zula who impressed with ‘tower of chairs’ and Odka, the ‘lady from the bottle’ who shoots arrows with her feet. Needless to say she didn’t miss once! On a par, though possibly a darn side more dangerous, is Czech knife-thrower Toni who not only throws knifes at his courageous female assistant but also hurls axes… while the damsel in distress is strapped on a board which is keeps spinning round and round.

Scottish clown Tweedy provided the comic relief and went down a treat with his slapstick routines involving ladders, bicycles, household appliances and a rope. Good old-fashioned fun which was a huge success especially with the kids in the audience. On the other end of the spectrum is the Lucius Team, four death-defying daredevils on motorbikes who are racing inside the ‘Globe of Death’ at a breakneck speed of 60 mph. Say no more! A fantastic spectacle which which brings your heart to standstill just watching it! In between the various acts the Berserk Dancers delighted with different exotic costumes and dance routines and more than once imaginatively staged parades and caravans rolled across the stage. Don’t miss the show but remember: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Cirque Berserk runs until February 12th (www.edtheatres.com)

Buy tickets here.