LIMBO

Reviewed by Annie Waters

I was really looking forward to my LIMBO experience. With sold out shows for the past two years of the Fringe, and rave reviews from everyone I know, this should have been a stand out show. But sadly, I didn’t think that this performance matched up to the hype. The show was a sell-out and the audience seemed receptive. Even so, the performers didn’t interact with the crowd at all, preferring to stick to their set routine. All well and good, but for me, they didn’t seem to try anything particularly new or daring. They kept to fairly straight acrobatic routines, interspersed with mediocre musical interludes led by an Einstein-like maestro character who failed to capture the audience at all.

In my opinion, good circus should have you on the edge of your seat, gasping with anticipation and awe. These performers didn’t make the best use of the space, and seemed to rely on the impressive light and pyrotechnic show to make up for their lack of inventiveness. Even the most audacious act of the night, which involved four artists straddled atop tall, supple poles at each corner of the stage, using their body weight to rock themselves in ever-increasing circles, coming close to collision several times, seemed to be over-choreographed and depressingly safe. That’s not to say that I want to see people get hurt; but, I think that great circus plays up the element of danger, concealing any measures to ensure the safety of the artists.

Perhaps most alarming was the role of women in the show. Of the seven performers, two were women, but their role was minimal. One had an impressive acrobatic set with a hoop suspended on a rope, probably the most technically impressive act in the show, but was barely seen for the rest of the night. The other swallowed fire sticks in a disturbingly phallic display of guttural prowess. Both were scantily clad and appeared to have little other purpose in the performance than showing off their lithe bodies. Even the men seemed to be more selected for their physical attributes than their acrobatic talents – one man was able to walk on his hands very well but as for the rest, well, one of them could tap dance impressively.

It’s a shame, but I think that success has gone to the heads of the LIMBO crew. This year, their performance doesn’t live up to the potential that previous shows have promised, and is certainly not worth the pricey entry fee.

LIMBO, Paradiso Spiegeltent, 20 Feb to 16 Mar