CIRCUS

Presented by Danger Cabaret

Big Top @ The Pleasure Garden

Review by David Erceg

Roll up, roll up, for a night of entertainment that you’ll never forget! El Bizarro has earned quite the reputation, proving a smash hit on its Fringe World debut in 2015, which it follows this year with a no-holds-barred circus spectacular. Expect to laugh, cheer and have your jaw plummet at the antics on display throughout this late night offering.

Any good circus prides itself on audience engagement, and the El Bizarro troupe thrive under the lights. As their performances ramp up in daring and spectacle, so to does the audience’s enjoyment of the show. Ringmaster Magnus ‘Danger’ Magnus bounces around the stage at frenetic pace, radiating enthusiasm — his antics themselves make for an entertaining hour in and of itself.

Of the acts themselves: such variety! We’re treated to extreme body contortionists who climb into high heels while laying on their stomach, legs splayed back up over their head (picture a scorpion and you get the idea); sword swallowing beauties; and a ping pong ball-spitting Swedish juggler who asks if anyone in the audience has an IKEA wine glass he could borrow, when his own prop shatters mid-performance.

Importantly, this is a show with a Fringe UV rating of 4 out of 4, so it’s not for all tastes. One act in particular, in which a costumed male-and-female duo subject each other to graphic ‘pleasurable pain’ with clamps and chains, proves confronting, and the routine is called to a halt to allow some light-headed audience members to dash for open air. Kudos are owed to the El Bizarro team for going no further into the realm of the macabre than this.

As you’d hope, the finale is stunning and breathtaking, involving flame dancing and fire breathing, leaving the audience cheering. It’s a slick production; the music is spot-on, and the performers give it absolutely everything. If you’re looking for an alternative show to really spice up your Fringe experience, maybe El Bizarro is for you.

El Bizarro runs nightly until Saturday February 20 (except Thursday 18). Tickets available here.