Cirque De Hybrid

Hugh ‘Wolverine’ Jackman as The Greatest Showman inspired a nation when his movie of the same name was released in 2017.

And it didn’t take long for established acts, touring productions and even school dance shows to ride high on the back of Britain’s new fascination with all things circus, driven on by some cracking new numbers from the pens of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

So, it is hardly surprising that Cirque, which played at Bradford’s Alhambra last night before taking its theatrical Big Top to Birmingham for this evening’s performance, knocked West Yorkshire dead.

This action-packed hybrid of a show features songs, dancers, classic circus-style ‘acts’ and a brilliant mime artist thrown in for good measure, all linked together by a vocal trio, some excellent staging and high-energy choreography from Lynsey Brown.

There was a time when Seaside Special was a staple diet for Saturday night viewing and, for the uninitiated, there was invariably a comedy compere who introduced dancers and lots of acts: never a dull moment.

But the formula worked and many believe it should return.

Well, it did last night in the shape of Producer Max Fox’s travelling carnival of players: a crossbow act, juggler, aerialists, professional skaters and even a spinning cube and fire juggler.

Like Seaside Special, never a dull moment!

And that, I would attest, is its strength, because a nation that remains fascinated by the quick fix of Instagram and Facebook video clips, and which can no longer sit still, needs instant gratification and short bursts of different things…..and that’s what circus performance delivers in spades.

Cirque nailed it and kept moving from start to finish, never giving an on-the-edge demanding crowd (this was NOT a theatre audience) time to mutter their dissatisfaction, distract or complain.

The music was all well-known: Elton John, Beyonce, and a raft of other staples, allowing many to singalong or throw out their X-Factor style cheers. This was Britain’s Got Talent on steroids!

Mime artist Christian Lee was a brilliant link man, filling with silent comedy that gave time for complex scene changes, and the audience lapped it up when he selected a couple of their number to join him on stage.

An easy evening of watching that will lift your soul.

Crossbow act Jennifer Van Gool and Tom Barrandon were as wonderfully cheesy as a Swiss Fondo but you loved them for it.

Shonagh Leatherbarrow was the proverbial contortionist (and every dad’s dream girlfriend), whilst Rhys Richard, Christian Travers and Liam Raven gave it their all as street dancers, giving the highly trained ladies on stage (equally good I have to say), a run for their money!

This is a show that will have you spellbound for a couple of hours with its colour, energy and Broadway flair. An easy evening of watching that will lift your soul.

Cirque
Alhambra, Bradford

Opportunities To See
Scarborough Spa, August 3rd
Darlington Hippodrome August 16 & 17th
Check further tour dates at: www.cirqueshow.co.uk