Review: CIRCUS 1903, Southbank Centre

With extraordinary feats of bravery, strength and skill, the appeal of old-fashioned circus is not hard to understand. Performing a show that is the essence of traditional circus entertainment, Circus 1903 comes to London's Southbank Centre for its European premiere: a celebration of the Golden Age of circus, with highly skilled performers, raucous comedy and excellent family entertainment.

Holding the show together is the charismatic Ringmaster Willy Whipsnade, played by an ebullient David Williamson. He is as witty and warm as you could wish for, with great magic skills and even better ability at managing small children brought on stage. In an age where so much children's entertainment relies on technology, it's heartwarming to see some of the most entertaining moments come from his comedic interaction with the children and the simple but effective magic tricks he performs.

The performers are at the heart of the show and for those who have seen the feats of Cirque du Soleil, some are a little underwhelming. However, what works incredibly well is the feeling that the show captures the essence of traditional circus.

There is no tenuous storyline or outrageous costumes that sometimes distracts in the Cirque shows; this is showmanship and performance without the frills and it is all the better for it. Performing the show at The Royal Festival Hall is also a bonus, as it is small enough for the audience to visually appreciate every performance up close.

The show features jugglers, high wire performers and acrobats, with, thankfully for some, no clowns. Standout performers include aerial performer Aleksandra Kiedrowitz's Lucky Moon routine which showed remarkable strength and flexibility as she contorts herself in the aerial hoop with extreme grace and elegance. Her routine is the essence of great circus performance, as it looks completely effortless.

Kiedrowitz also appears with Alfredo Silva in Deadly Games, a traditional knife-throwing act which has skill and jeopardy in equal measure. Here, Evan Jolly's excellent musical composition comes to the fore, with a thrumming beat building the tension.

Ethiopean-born Senayet Asefa Amare performs as The Elastic Dislocationist. Quite honestly, if she possesses a spine it would be very surprising, as she contorts herself into shapes and positions that have to be seen to be believed.

Thankfully, live animals are becoming a rarity in modern circus, but in 1903, they were a huge part of the show. To reimagine a circus with live animals, London-based Significant Object, who created the incredible puppets for War Horse, have come up trumps again with adorable elephants Queenie and baby Peanut.

The highly skilled operators create incredibly lifelike movement, with Peanut bounding around playfully and Queenie patiently standing by. The use of mesh and other materials creates an incredibly faithful impression of the elephant's skin, making them seems all the more real. Needless to say, the audience were spellbound by them.

This is an excellent show for the whole family, with a heart-warming and traditional feeling that is often a rarity in modern theatre.

Circus 1903 is at the Southbank Centre until 5 January, 2019

Watch our video sneak peek here!

Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan

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