The Udderbelly Festival has become a summer institution on London's South Bank, offering a hub for entertainment and outdoor revelries. The events scheduled are diverse, ranging from comedy to magic acts, and the performances have a prodigious pedigree. Shows are usually billed after a successful Edinburgh Festival Fringe run or have received international critical acclaim. Since 2009, Udderbelly has delighted crowds from April until July with its line-up hosted inside a quirky venue: an upside-down purple cow.
This year, Udderbelly has commissioned a show from Circa, a world-renowned circus company, called Closer. As the name implies, the production focuses on drawing in and engaging the audience with a 60 minute session of acrobatic feats. Purely centring on the authentic movement and breath-taking abilities of a five member cast, this show defies all of the senses- it puts the spotlight on human strength and agility through a series of implausible acts. There's no emcee or ringmaster, no lollygagging between performances and props are kept scarce and modest.
By stripping away all of the frills, each movement of the artists is observable. There's also no room for smoke and mirrors to disguise a misstep or tumble. The performers themselves defy expectations by looking fairly ordinary- that is, representing different body shapes and ditching glitz and glamour in favour of simple and pragmatic outfits. This contributes to the feeling that you've walked into a rehearsal instead of the final ostentatious show. Everything feels very naked and raw. This authenticity creates moments of profound tension because the performers appear vulnerable in their starkness. But their sheer strength, control and skill is amplified without relying upon any artifice.
It's an unmissable show. This is not only due to the acrobatic feats, but because it cleverly intertwines physical performance with audience participation against the backdrop of a catchy soundtrack- all with a good dose of humour thrown in. The moments where the audience is left watching with bated breath are nicely counterbalanced with levity. There's even a short bout of karaoke that will have everyone chiming in. Despite the simplicity of the central concept of Closer, the beautiful complexity of the movements has a hypnotic effect. And then the final act is so exuberant that spectators are left cheering and stamping their feet.
Closer is a fantastically conceived show and an all-round audience pleaser; children and adults alike will be hooked from the emergence of the performers to their final bows. The show is running throughout the summer, so there's plenty of time to fit it into your calendar. But getting closer might require acting faster- the show we saw was sold out. read more