Circus
By Poncho Circus
Black Flamingo – The Pleasure Garden
Friday 30th January
Review by Lucy Rutherford

Through the medium of circus, Underground predicts a future where any kind of circus performance is banned. Those still determined to partake of the forbidden juggling and acrobatics must do it in deserted alleyways behind the backs of the police. While at times displaying great examples of storytelling, humour, and of course circus skills, there were many points where Underground didn’t quite hit the the mark, or rather, didn’t quite catch the juggling club.

The three men of Poncho Circus, a young and upcoming circus troupe from Canberra, use this imaginative premise to take us through a variety of circus acts; from juggling and hoop twirling to acrobatics and balancing enormous piles of milk crates on their chins. Throughout these acts there were definitely some moments when the audience collectively gasped (crates balancing on the chins), but equally there were as many awkward moments when juggling clubs were dropped and balancing acts had to be started again. Undoubtedly, the heat played a huge factor in this. At 32 degrees outside and who knows what inside the tent, the heat had the audience flapping their Fringeworld fans like a flock of birds. The performers’ hands would have been as sweaty as ours, not helped by their unfortunate costumes of hooded jumpers and heavy looking trench coats.

This performance shone when the performers bought the characters of the story to the forefront, and combined their acting skills with their circus skills to create not just physical feats to wonder at, but also a story to be invested in. The dorky, enthusiastic character of Patrick witnessing some illegal circus being performed and asking if he can join worked especially well; if he made a mistake he would grin broadly at the audience and we would forgive him for being so lovable. Another highlight was when a police officer announced to the audience he was drawing a wanted sign for an illegal acrobat, and needed to know what he looks like, asking the audience to shout out and describe his features. The kids in the audience took to this with great enthusiasm and humour.

In the end, Poncho Circus evocatively showed us what their own personal dystopia might look like, in no small part helped by the hand painted fabric set and the well crafted music. The three performers endeared themselves to the audience so that by the end, the cheers and claps they received as they took their bows were happily given.

Underground runs until Monday 2nd February and tickets can be purchased here.