Chaos meets precision
0 Cirque Alfonse show strength and dexterity in their latest extravaganza
point, is lowered to become a fast-spinning platform, with a performer balanced precariously on top.
It’s just one of many routines where skill and daring meet Alfonse’s unique brand of bizarre theatricality.
Sometimes there’s just strength and dexterity on offer – Chinese poles are balanced on shoulders and
scaled, speeding rollerskaters are lifted off the floor, and high-flying tumblers somersault through the air.
At other times, the pace drops for a moment of bread eating or singing, which bring echoes of Barbu but less captivating. A sequence where metal bowls of water are swung by gritted teeth, then flung high with barely
a drop spilled can’t fail to impress. Likewise the human towers and jumps on a flexible beam.
Although there are disappointing (by their own standards) moments of padding here, Cirque Alfonse remains a special force to be reckoned with.
KELLY APTER
Until 25 August. Today 7pm.