Have you ever wondered what it is like behind the scenes for circus performers? Have you ever wondered what happens to them when they reach middle age? This engaging, funny and moving show lifts up the back of the tent to expose what lurks behind. Indeed, the brilliant trick of this show is to answer all those questions that have wandered across the back of our minds but have never made it to the front of our mouths.
There is top-class satire, but the show is raised further by the other elements in the mix
Devised by still hungry and Bryony Kimmings, the show is presented and acted by three female circus performers from Chamaeleon Berlin. With charm and great comic timing they wittily explode the conventions of circus shows – especially the additional demands and fantasies loaded onto the shoulders of female performers.
There is top-class satire, but the show is raised further by the other elements in the mix. The performers – all highly successful in their circus careers – go into technical demonstrations of their skills, with discussions on the pleasures of the moves, the desire to push boundaries, and the philosophy of the acts, such as the aspects left unsaid about contortionists. Characteristically, this is also undercut by a reductive summary: strong shoulders chooses straps, the feather-light girl takes to a rope act, and the bendy girl is a contortionist.
Each woman tells the story of how she became a circus performer. We are shown pictures from childhood and told of the family circumstances and the joys, motivations, and pressures on the young girls that led them into their paths. The stories are simple and simply told, and all the more moving for that. We move on to the exhilaration of teenage rebellion, the grasping for freedom – and finding it – and the excitement of success in their careers.
The women describe themselves as show ponies, but they are middle-aged, and we know what happens to horses once they are past their best. The tribulations of ageing have been a touchpoint throughout the show, and this now takes centre stage as each woman imagines a version of the future for the three of them. Three separate visions, but with their friendship as a common theme.
One of the performers makes the comment that no one wants to hear a middle aged woman moaning. Well, if it is as dazzling, witty, captivating and moving as this show - yes we do!
