Last night, October 25^th, saw the 120^th anniversary of the opening performance at the theatre we all now know as the Birmingham Hippodrome. The show on that historic occasion was a circus. How appropriate then, that the anniversary celebration should see not only a circus, but one that reimagines the same heyday of artistic and exciting extravaganza. Although not quite 120 years ago, Circus 1903, marks the year when two major circus troupes vied for domination of the United States, each claiming that theirs was ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. This show, produced by Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and Neil Dorward, attempts to recreate the hyperbolic and extraordinary vibe of the era. It was considerably successful in doing so.

The whole show is held together by a great frontman, ‘Ringmaster Willy Whipsnade’, played by David Williamson. Hailing from the USA, Williamson lent some authenticity to the American-style showmanship and crowd-pleasing banter of the evening. As a compere he has presence, charisma and the ability to ad lib at will. In particular, he has a great way with children, and one of the highlights of the evening came when he invited four children onto the stage to help him with some magic tricks, and a fifth child, aged just three gate-crashed the party. Rather than allowing this to fluster him, he thought on his feet and accommodated her with a generosity that won the audience over completely.

The role Williamson played as Ringmaster was an important one. He had to keep the pace of the show going while the various acts set up their equipment behind him. Furthermore, his role was the only speaking part in the show. Though I assume many of the acts can speak English given their international touring exposure in various cirques and ensembles, they are drawn from all over the world. There are performers from Cuba, Russia, France, Ethopia, Ukraine, Brasil and Mongolia. Every one of them comes with an impressive CV of performing with major circus names such as the Moscow State Circus and Cirque du Soleil.

The style of the acts lends a historical authenticity to the show. Apart from some pre-recorded music, certain lighting effects and some fantastic puppets, the demonstration of talent in the show is primarily centred on human performance rather than technology. There are few gimmicks. What you get in this show is the product of many years, even decades, of training the human body to perform remarkable feats. Some of these feats can be equated to a unique sense of vocation in the individual performers, their hard work, dedication and discipline in developing great strength and agility. Others seem to defy any kind of reason: ‘The Sensational Sozonov’ performs a balancing act that I struggled to look at for fear that it would go horribly wrong; ‘Les Incredibles’ execute split second timing in an acrobatic routine that fixates; and ‘The Elastic Dislocationist’ walks circles around her own head, something that you have to see to believe.  

While these tremendous feats bring humans to the fore, it falls to technology to bring the circus animals to life. In this case, elephants. There has been great controversy over the years about circus animals and the way they are treated. The solution the producers of this show have opted for is to hire the animators from the highly successful War Horse to create life size puppets. These are quite spectacular creations that enjoy tremendously lifelike movement under the control of their expert puppeteers. This was impressive and fascinating to watch, and beautifully choreographed to bring out character and humour too.

There is no great narrative here, just an opportunity to savour some nostalgia of a bygone golden age. But it is a very well-produced show that goes at a great pace, creates a jovial and interactive atmosphere with the audience, and holds their interest throughout. Although the claim that something is ‘perfect for all the family’ is often a cliché, here is it both accurate and apt. This was a thoroughly entertaining evening that has something for everyone.  ★★★★☆    Robert Gainer  26^th October 2019