list.co.uk/festival Circus | FESTIVAL FEATURES
Circus has become big business at the Fringe and its resurgence continues apace in 2016. Gareth K Vile explores the extremes of the genre through two shows coming direct
to Edinburgh from France’s famous Avignon festival
T he revival of circus at the Edinburgh Fringe – from the creation of Underbelly’s Circus Hub last year to the inclusion of more intimate shows in venues like Summerhall – rel ects an international trend towards the incorporation of the art form into theatre and dance.
With Elixir and Only Bones both arriving fresh from the Avignon festival, the extremes of contemporary circus are represented at this year’s Fringe. Elixir has a populist energy, a simple and clear narrative and plenty of dynamic set-pieces. Only Bones offers a smaller scale and precise ‘body manipulation’, in which a single performer displays an incredible ability to use his physique as if it were a puppet, forming weird and entrancing shapes.
Thomas Gorham, performer and director of Elixir, champions an accessible and humorous approach, against what he calls the ‘deep and meaningless’ style. ‘The current circus trend is to present a show that has an absence of narrative,’ he says. ‘Often only the performer themselves has any idea of the story or meaning of the work, the rest is left up to the individual audience member. We are going against this trend. Our show is a fully narrative and action-packed hour.’
Taking cues from the fashionable enthusiasm for zombies, Elixir rapidly explains its premise of three men attempting to i nd a cure for a virus, then reveals the skills of the cast. Referencing popular culture, including a sequence from Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video, it is a spectacular hour, trading on bold tricks and the physical beauty of is routines: Gorham himself comes across as a sensible leader, attempting to control the japery of his co-stars, until he inevitably succumbs to the virus which he is trying to cure. the men. Characterisation
revealed within the
Despite the themes of decay and mutation, Gorham wants to entertain. ‘Our show is very much a comedy show, there are equal parts physical comedy as there is physical prowess.’ Much of this comedy comes from the interaction between the trio, and their sure touch in addressing the audience. It’s clear that the company are not precious about their skills, willing to put their remarkable feats at the service of fun and humour. Yet the highlights of Elixir do come from the acrobatics. Whether l inging each other into the air from a teeterboard, juggling atop a ladder, or balancing on their heads, the trio understand the power of spectacle. The plot does weave the routines together, and allows each acrobat a personality. Gorham’s background as a break-dancer is evident not only in the energy and enthusiasm of the show, but in the willingness to remember that Elixir is a performance and not merely a street display.
Above all, as Gorham explains, Elixir celebrates giving the audience ‘an immensely joyful and uplifting feeling for an hour where they get to laugh, gasp in amazement and leave raving about what they saw.’
Without losing that sense of amazement, Only Bones focuses the attention onto a single i gure. Thomas Monckton is alone on stage, and his only prop is a lamp. He introduces his body slowly into the space, his head replaced by the lamp and his i ngers and toes becoming independent characters. Once he has established the atmosphere through a brief interlude that conjures exotic i sh in a submarine landscape, using only his hands and a blue light, he reveals how dramatic the body can be. In contrast to Elixir, however, Monckton abandons storytelling. Only Bones is more abstract and alludes to clowning. His character becomes vulnerable: his head and torso refuse to act together, each of his muscles straining against each other in a battle of will and l exibility. The visual comedy – especially when Monckton tries to control his wobbling neck – hides an almost absurdist crisis of a body not just in conl ict with the world, but against itself.
Monckton has a background in classic circus entertainment. ‘I learned to juggle at about eight years old. Through juggling I became more interested in circus skills,’ he says. ‘Through circus I discovered clowning and through clowning I discovered physical comedy, and new wave clown.’ This is not the clown of red nose and audience participation, but the kind of precise choreography that plays on emotional vulnerability and recognition. Humour and spectacle collide to expose a deeper meditation on the human condition.
Monckton’s work is produced by Aurora Nova, a company which became known for high quality experimental and cross-genre physical performance through its Edinburgh venue and, latterly, a strand within the Fringe. Their collection of artists has included Red Bastard and Circa, who paved the way for many contemporary circus shows through their mix of intelligence and trickery. Monckton, talking about his other Fringe show The Pianist (Summerhall, 4–29 Aug), recognises how his artistic development i ts with the Aurora Nova brand in its fusion of inl uences. ‘When I started it was dei nitely within a circus format. I created short skills-based acts, normally tightly glued to a piece of music. Now I am more interested in contributing to the progression of contemporary physical comedy.’
Elixir and Only Bones may come from a similar tradition, and do share respect for skill, entertainment and audience engagement. However, their diversity of style and distinctive intentions only emphasise the scale and scope of contemporary circus, and it is perhaps this range that has driven the revival.
Elixir, Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 0844 545 8252, 6–22 Aug (not 15), 10pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £9.
5 MORE CIRCUS SHOWS Our top picks for your i ll of jugglers, acrobats and cyr wheels galore
GANDINI JUGGLING: WATER ON MARS The talented team behind Smashed and 4x4 Ephemeral Architectures return with a new show made in collaboration with Plastic Boom. Three jugglers keep their hands busy with all manner of items, and even manage to throw in a few backl ips. Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 6–14 Aug, 5.30pm, £12–£14 (£10–£12). Previews 3–5 Aug, £8.
OCKHAM’S RAZOR: TIPPING POINT Easily one of the best circus companies at last year’s Fringe, Ockham’s Razor follow up the sensational Arc and Every Action with this new show, making playful, poetic use of 5m metal poles. C scala, 0845 260 1234, 3–25 Aug (not 9, 16, 23), 3pm, £14.50–£16.50 (£10.50– £12.50).
JOLI VYANN: IMBALANCE Mixing atmospheric dance, circus and a bit of social commentary, Vyann explores our increasing obsession with technology, as a couple struggle to connect ofl ine. Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 0844 545 8252, 6–22 Aug (not 10, 15), 7.30pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £9.
SILVER LINING & JACKSON’S LANE:
THROWBACK In a genre dominated by Australian and Canadian talent, British contemporary circus company Silver Lining is climbing the ranks. Here they fuse acrobatics, aerial work and a whole lot of fun to explore our nostalgia for things past. Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 0844 545 8252, 6–22 Aug (not 15), 4.30pm, £15–£16 (£14–£15). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £11.
DRIFTWOOD Casus Circus, the Australian company behind Knee Deep, return with a new show taking a close look at our need for human contact. Assembly George Square Gardens, 623 3030, 6–28 August (not 10, 15, 22), 3.30pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14). Previews 4 & 5 Aug, £10.
Only Bones, Summerhall, 560 1581, 5–28 Aug (not 8, 15, 22), 8.30pm, £11 (£10). Preview 3 Aug, £7. (Kelly Apter)
4–11 Aug 2016 THE LIST FESTIVAL 27