An impossibly beautiful young man balances on a tightrope, his feet perfect, his arms waving madly as if trying to keep his balance. A woman in five inch silver stilettos climbs the step-ladder and, to gasps from the audience, steps out onto the wire to join him.
Opening the London Wonderground season in the beautiful, mirrored Spiegel Tent on the Southbank, Cantina is part circus, part theatre, all charm.
There are nods to vintage Americana and Berlin cabaret, and the show’s intimate style is cleverly crafted to suit the talents of its five circus performers – each of whom has their own character – the lovable fall guy, the high-heeled dominatrix, the bendy ingénue and the handsome leading man.
And then there’s Mozes – the blindfolded and hooded aerialist on the rope, providing the purest moments of circus magic as he spins above us, casting a double silhouette on the tent walls.
This show is about the body and what it can do: there are sexy encounters, shades of S&M in the back-stabbing stiletto routines, and even a (very funny) cock joke.
Yet this is a witty, sophisticated show - in fact it’s almost too classy for its own good. My companion wanted it to be a little more raunchy and I would have loved more thrilling circus skills and maybe a little less dance.
But it’s a lovely show and, like close-up magic, leaves you wondering at how you can sit so near and yet be so far from knowing how they do it.
Overheard in the ladies on the way out - ‘The problem is Gina will now think she can do all this on the way home.’
Now where did I put my five inch stilettos…?
