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Book & Lyrics: Steve Josephson Music: John Hoke Director: Steve Josephson Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: I didn’t know what to expect from this production, I have to admit to not knowing who Ray Bradbury is, and being aware of any of the work from Gallimaufry Performing Arts, but after experiencing 2116 at C Plaza, I will be keeping a firm eye on their work and future projects. 2116 is a hard production to categorise, whilst being a musical it has the visual style and level of dedication of a Cirque du Soleil show, throw into the mix some Vaudevillian magic not far off The Tiger Lillies and you are coming pretty close to getting an idea of what 2116 is like. The story centres around a touring Marionette company, and through the imaginative staging we are enlightened on the tale of Husband & Wife Mr & Mrs Wycherly – who after reaching their 40th Wedding Anniversary seek to spice things up for each other by creating a Robot for each other of all the things they feel they don’t have in their old age anymore. Needless to say their are some excellent twists in the tale and to mention them would only spoil your enjoyment of the evening. Steve Josephson is a highly talented man not only playing the central narrator figure of Mr Marionette, but he has also co-written the book and lyrics with Ray Bradbury and directed this slick and visually stunning production – his portrayal of Mr Marionette is sublime with enough magic energy to come across a sinister yet hugely captivating. Christian Marriner is excellent throughout and gives a stunning performance in his solo number ‘Farewell, Lafyette’. Jonathon Lamer and Lisa Morrice as Mr/s Wycherly are captivating from start to finish. Whilst giving 100% in smooth [...]

Reviewer: Val Baskott The Public Reviews Rating: Proverbially laughter is the best medicine and there is plenty of it in this wonderful quirky circus show from Brussels’ Les Argonautes. Four clowns, each with their own distinct expressive persona are playing a silent hide and seek around tall wooden blocks. “Boxes remember when they were trees, men remember they will end in a box” so they play games with blocks and boxes, hobby horses and balls. Play is key in this alternative world but when the games get too rough the big voice of Calm prevails. Sensitive and delicate theatre is mixed with pure circus and integrated with visual simplicity and a rich soundtrack. With compassion we are gently made aware of our own frenetic lives and the need to take time out and to play together. The show builds from its quiet beginnings to a clever jazzy vocal and instrumental finish. Les Argonautes have perfected a beautifully crafted show which comes to an end all too soon. To say more would spoil it so take the family along to enjoy the fun.

Reviewer: Jeffrey Mayhew The Public Reviews Rating: These three performers – the charming, self-effacing Farhad Ahadi, the classic, false moustachioed strong man Shannon McGurgan and the redoubtable Malia Walsh (“It’s my circus!”) – really deliver. First off I was not entirely sure about the framing device; we came in whilst the cast were having a bit of a set to, nothing seemed ready and muted chaos reigned. It seemed just a touch contrived and you couldn’t help but think that the show had better be good or this would all end in tears. Well it was good – superlative in fact – and this was (apart from their consummate individual and ensemble skills) because the framing device kicked in and we were treated to breathtaking circus turns made all the more extraordinary by being fumbled, clowned and undermined by squabbles and the torrid (very torrid – I won’t give the wonderful moment away!) exploitation of the two boys, one girl sexual dynamic. Not only do they make difficult acrobatic and tumbling displays even more difficult with this anarchic, clowning approach they are also very funny. There is a sense of the old movie here – Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel and Hardy – pouting and passion, bitter asides, sulks and seduction, and we are the ones who are seduced in the end, as we are drawn into the emotional dynamic of this little circus in a way that we would never have been had the stunts been served up raw, as it were. This is, without a doubt, a show to go and see and thoroughly enjoy – as did the ecstatic audience the night I went. If I don’t go into more detail about the acts themselves it is purely to allow you the pleasure of surprise on top of your delight in these [...]

Creator: Jacques Sasson Resident Show Director: Martyn Smith Choreographer: Marco Decamillis, Miguel A Elajalde & Daniella Nanova Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: For a production to reach 25 years old means something magical and special has taken place. 2010 has seen the hugely impressive multi-million pound production of Les Miserables make this landmark birthday but over in the Balearic island of Mallorca another show equally as impressive hits the same landmark birthday. Pirates Adventure started life as a small hotel production based on a story that creator Jacques Sasson wrote for his daughter, and 25 years on the production lives in its own purpose built theatre just on the outskirts of Magaluf, and performing in front of 1000 excited holiday makers and Mallorca residents most nights of the week. Jaques Lafitte – excellent and evilly executed by Nikolay Nikolov, the evil French pirate is on the trail of Captain Barbarossa, a highly energised performance by Isaac Braga Conceicao, Captain Scarlet not only beautiful but a stunning gymnast to boot (Marisol Fernandez), Sir Henry Morgan a charming turn by Freddie Mason and Captain Blackbeard – a flip-tastic and hip performance by Neil Sweeney and Sir Francis Drake, who is played valiantly by Velko Peshev who have managed to gain possession of Lafitte’s treasure, what follows is a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, full of exhilarating acrobatics, sensational sexy choreography, and plenty of comedy and hi-jinks to bring laughter and gasps of awe and disbelief from the whole family. Like its sister show Come Fly With Me, Pirates Adventure brings together a cast from all over the world who give so much energy and display some of the most powerful displays of strength and dexterity that would leave anyone simply breathless. Performed on an atmospheric set which perfectly places you in the heart [...]

Creators:Les Doigts de la Main Directors: Shana Carroll & Gypsy Snider Reviewer: Elizabeth Vile The Public Reviews Rating: Flying Entertainment in association with Theatrical Management Group’s production of Traces was a highly enjoyable, energetic show full of circus skills, acrobatics, dance and striking visual effects. The pace of the piece changed constantly and the combination of live and recorded music, as well as the use of projections and video footage kept the audience entertained from start to finish. The company was made up of five artists, three men and a woman who did a mixture of solo and group circus acts. Their enthusiasm and enjoyment for each other’s acts contrasted with their concentration and professionalism during their own. This, coupled with the technical aspects really helped to heighten the tension and excitement of the audience. The highlights for me had to be the finale of Act 1 and the finale of Act 2. I won’t spoil the surprise but the audible gasps that came from the audience. The standing ovation given by some audience members during the curtain call visibly demonstrated the effect the show had on a theatre going public that ranged from primary school children right up to the grand parents that accompanied them. I also enjoyed the sections that involved basketballs, skateboards, a large metal hoop and giant poles. The one area of the show that dimmed my enjoyment slightly was the connecting pieces that joined the individual acts together. These pieces gave the cast a chance to connect with audience by sharing snippets of their life. The audience were shown baby photos, found out about each performer’s character traits and about specific events in their lives. Although this was interesting I found it difficult to make these insights connect with the acrobatic acts that surrounded them and I could [...]

Conceived by Les 7 doigts de la main Director and Choreographer: Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider Reviewer: Sarah Lyth The Public Reviews Rating: Traces is going to go HUGE. If I could only have one word to describe this show it would be WOW. I expected an acrobatics display. What I experienced was a rich tapestry of dance, gymnastics, art, music, fun, humour and social commentary. These guys are seriously cool. The performers had so much energy, lightness of movement, strength and pure talent that the audience were gasping, whooping and cheering in turn, we couldn’t keep it in. They were astonishing. Described as ‘circus artists,’ but really much more than that, the performers casually introduced themselves to their audience and then proceded to explore all manner of forms of expression to elaborate on their initial description. The company reveal themselves as individuals as they talk out to the audience in the piece yet show themselves also as being a precious part of a whole polished spectacle which is at once ridiculously casual and then jaw-droppingly precise. Casual: playing piano, sauntering across the stage, reading, writing, incredibly Bohemian in atmosphere. Precise: all five performers twisting and tumbling and engaging in circus tricks that could, in the space of a moment, land in disaster. The waves of these tones kept the audience mesmerised. It was a joy to see such an expressive and creative show in the beloved Crucible Theatre. In the round, Traces was shown to its full effect and the audience were completely immersed in the action, even when it seemed almost too close for comfort! My guest leapt out of her seat as Philip Rosenberg climbed to the top of a pole and then let himself drop, head first to the floor before stopping himself …

Director: Kristine Landon-Smith Reviewer: Ruth Lovett The Public Reviews Rating: Acrobatic skills combined with projection and theatre creates the story of Frank and Evie, two performers who create their own acrobatic dance act in a 1928 vaudeville theatre. Frank (Kaveh Rahnama) is a juggler with his own regular performance slot. One evening he is forced to share his dressing room with Evie (Lauren Hendry) who is the new acrobatic act. Very rapidly the two fall in love and go on to create their own double act, the Hot Dots whose energetic, high octane routines thrill audiences nightly. However the success on stage takes it toll on their relationship with Evie’s lust for fame overtaking her lust for Frank, the cracks soon begin to show and the relationship beings to break down. The acrobatic skills of Rahnama and Hendry are unquestionable with the pair performing some breathtaking stunts that leave the audience gasping with delight. Unfortunately the storyboard could do with some work. There a some long periods of inaction with Hendry or Rahnama moving around the stage silently contemplating their situation for unnecessary prolonged periods and while we appreciate the need to catch ones breath after a quick succession of fantastic acrobatic moves; it breaks the ebb and flow of the piece and makes it appear stilted in parts. The back story is nothing original and lacks creativity but does allow the pair to demonstrate the progression of the love story through a series of fast paced swing inspired numbers, a slow passionate section set to a love song and display anger and frustration at the relationship disintegrates; showing great musicality and the skill of choreographing the moves to the music in a stylish fashion. The use of the projection screen adds little to the performance and feels somewhat unnecessary but all told, [...]

By: Les 7 Doigts de la Main Director/Choreographer: Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider. Reviewer: Poppy Helm The Public Reviews Rating: Traces is the second contemporary circus act from French-Canadian collective, Les 7 Doigts de la Main. First performed in Montreal in 2006, it has since enjoyed international success from London’s West End to New York. Midway through it’s first UK tour, Traces arrives in Salford. The performance opens to a ‘bunker’ in which five inhabitants explore what could be their last moments as an unseen disaster looms. A projector screen hangs on the back wall, showing the audience members gradually filtering from the theatre foyer into the auditorium as they too become part of this underground world. The title, Traces, is supposedly a reflection of the performer’s increasing desperation to leave their mark on the world before they go – not something easily realised without consulting the company’s website. There are moment of clarity in the snatches of monologue, but not enough to piece a coherent story together. However, this isn’t the sort of show that requires a narrative through-line; the performance is breathtaking enough on it’s own. The show opens confidently with a heavy bass-line and the performers flinging each other around on the stage. Had the soundtrack been available to buy on the way out, I would have; it’s an eclectic mix ranging from hip-hop to classical to riverdance-crossed-with-rock that hits the spot for every act. What starts off more as a mixture of dance and acrobatics becomes steadily more intense as the show progresses. Philip Rosenberg shines in the first act as he tumbles and balances on a statue of mannequin parts, throwing himself around it until he almost becomes part of the formation. Every post-interval act deserves a mention; the elegant harness swinging and frantic hoop acrobatics are particular [...]