A mash-up of theatre, dance, puppetry, circus skills, live music and comedy - what sounds like my perfect show is, unfortunately, not all that it is cracked up to be. Cirk La Putyka aim to produce ‘new circus’ with their varied abilities and whilst they are all clearly very skilled performers, I was left feeling a little deflated. The show is based on life in a Czech pub. The performers weave in and out of reality and fantasy with their mad characters, which left me confused a lot of the time. What is reality and what is fantasy? (I will give exception to the final scene where the performers dance with huge exercise balls, representative of beer bubbles - very clever and entertaining). I do think there was a sense of the audience being lost in translation, especially with the puppetry section where the puppet’s head becomes disembodied and is played with in an extraordinary manner. Each performer has a specialised skill, like gymnastics or dance, but they are never pushed to the extremities many circus performers are pushed to today, like in Cirque De Soliel. I wanted to be wowed. I wanted magic but all I got was a little spark. I was, however, impressed with the two ‘elderly’ men performing acrobatic tricks, but to my dismay this is repeated over and over again, losing its power and effect. The trampolining is good but I was itching for more development, more stunning displays of gymnastics and, again, the company falls short. My main problem is with the choreography and direction. The performers needed an outside eye to tie everything together, to lead to a well-rounded and tight performance. There are, however, terrific moments of eccentric comedy that stem from contemporary clowning. These are absurd but thoroughly beguiling. Individually, the performers have exceptional talent, but this performance needs a clearer story, more surprise and additional direction.
