I know that circus is not technically theatre and the acts do not perform on a stage, but Giffords Circus is very theatrical, dramatic even, and the area in which they perform almost exactly matches that covered by StageTalk Magazine. So we make an exception.

This year’s show at Giffords Circus is called The Thunders and is all ancient Greek gods and the like. Perhaps it should be called The Spots because very early in the proceedings the wrath of the gods was incurred and a plague of spots was inflicted on all our houses. And, no sooner did that happen, than the ring was full of spotty dogs and ponies to match. While there were only two, not 101 Dalmatians, it was a charming and funny act which set the mood for the whole performance.

Giffords Circus is now in its fourteenth year and every time it comes round it is bigger and better. The Thunders I think is possibly the best show I’ve seen. The theme seemed to click and apply itself to all the acts. There was another innovation. In the past the tent has let in the daylight so it was not really possible to do much with lights. Now the tent is lined so no daylight gets in and lighting can be employed to create dramatic effects. This was particularly successful during Giffords’ stalwarts Bibi and Bichu’s first spot when they were juggling with flaming torches.

All the costumes were excellent as was the beautiful, cloudy backdrop and there were lots of booming, echoing voices and claps of Greek thunder too. Giffords is nothing if not eccentric and therein lies much of its charm. Yes, they have the jugglers and the acrobats, but they also have a performing turkey and a goose named Brian, and not many circuses can claim that.

Luo Lan and Gao Yuan who, for the purposes of the show, became the Dancing Nymphs, Pyramus and Thisbe, were a fairly laid-back pair of acrobats. She was obviously a trained ballet dancer and was ably supported (literally) by her be-togaed partner. The high-spot of the act was when she stood on his head on pointe. Pat Bradford (Hercules) is another Giffords regular and this year he balanced eight chairs on a table top while doing hand-stands on the tottering pile as he went along. Special mention must also be made of the musicians. Music is always an important factor in Giffords shows and this year, again under the baton of James Keay, the band was excellent

Of course the high-spot of The Thunders was Tweedy the Clown. He was always there or thereabouts, but his best spot was his death-defying knife throwing act when an unsuspecting member of the audience was strapped to a board with a balloon between his legs. I was just glad they didn’t ask me. The climax of the show involved a giant wooden horse being rolled into the arena to witness a spectacular spring-board tumbling act by The Godfathers.

As I said, Giffords Circus goes from strength to strength and if you have already seen them you won’t need persuading to go along to a village green near you to see The Thunders. If you have never seen them, this year would be a great time to get started. What’s not to like? ★★★★☆ Michael Hasted