This year's Circusfest season launches with a surrealist production, Super Sunday, from Finnish circus ensemble, Race Horse Company. The group style themselves as uncompromising, and this quality is manifest in the show- from the usual (and slightly baffling) introduction to the performers to the revelation of the set, the audience is left disarrayed at first. The tone of the show is peculiar, abstract and has moments of both dark and slapstick humour. Despite a gentle start that elicits a few sparse chuckles from the crowd, the show suddenly jumps into hyper drive and becomes an energetic ceremony of movement and acrobatics.
The performers are all male and their strength and talent becomes increasingly obvious as the acts unfold. The stage is set up as a bizarre fairground, a somewhat creepy Victorian iteration with a carousel, seesaw and strongman game. And then there's the imposing and lumbering wheel of death hanging over the stage before being introduced for the grand finale- needless to say, the closing breath-taking display is worth the visual anticipation.
Using props, costumes and demonstrating their own agility, balance and strength, the cast have put together an entertaining show: it highlights the performers' impressive abilities while using props to allow them to scale to mind-boggling heights. They swing, tumble and launch one another into hastily erected (and somewhat inadequate looking) nets, creating moments of tension and awe.
The prevailing comedy makes the show more engaging than merely a spectacle- the performers are clever, exaggerating the awkwardness of scene changing in the venue's awkward space. Their struggle setting up two large trampolines on the constrained stage area is emphasised for comic effect. And there's a little bit of leather and drag thrown in for good measure because, well, it all begins to feel a bit like a boys' club.
Super Sunday is a high energy, fun and off-kilter production that delivers a solid 70 minutes of jaw-dropping fun- it's unique, playful and slightly dark, but the feats speak for themselves. There's no dialogue, no emcee and the performers look like they're having an absolute blast. This is a brilliant introduction to the Circusfest programme at The Roundhouse and highly recommended. It's only running until the 16 April, but if you miss it, don't panic- if the calibre of the other shows is as high as this one, you really can't go wrong.
Circusfest runs at The Roundhouse until the 24 April 2016.I hope to catch another performance before the big top closes its doors. read more