By BRUCE DENNILL
Urban Circus / Directed by Daniel Buckland / The Teatro, Montecasino, Fourways, Johannesburg
With the definition of the word and concept of “circus” having changed dramatically in recent decades – there are no captive animals anymore, and clowning is no longer limited to people in red wigs, size 20 shoes and bizarrely tiny cars – disciplines such as acrobatics and gymnastics have come to the fore, combined (by famous companies such as Cirque Du Soleil) with dance, music, and storytelling.
Johannesburg company The Cirk comprises 11 performers, all of them fit, attractive and trained in a variety of athletic discipline, who generally work out of a facility in the Cresta Shopping Centre, where they stage shows, give classes and plan and rehearse corporate work of various descriptions. To move to the cavernous, 1900-seater Teatro from that scenario is a leap that takes plenty of planning and not a little courage – fortunately facets of the company’s work that everyone involved is fully acquainted with. To scale their capacity to the larger platform, director Daniel Buckland, a Cirque Du Soleil veteran as well as an experienced performer for South African audiences, and so probably an ideal option to help mesh the two theatrical states.
Urban Circus is broken into a number of vignettes with recognisable themes (commuting to work, taking an elevator, rebelling against the teacher in class) that place in focus not only the different apparatus used for different disciplines (pole work, aerial routines, balance and more) but the notable strength and skill needed to complete each sequence. Linking these vignettes and also forming a valuable part of them is acting – nothing too complicated, and what dialogue there is not amplified, so it adds more to the energy of the piece than functioning as exposition – that helps to create an atmosphere appropriate for each vignette (be it sombre reflection, intense action, full-ensemble precision or humour).
In the latter regard, Brian Ngobese often plays the clown – the character in each scene who is marginalised and sometimes made fun of before proving his worth (to the audience’s audible satisfaction), and does so consistently well. Standout performers elsewhere are Nataniel Pires, whose facial expressions and physical comedy match her athletic abilities, and Marco Vargas, whose pole work and incredible cube juggling are two of the highlights of the show.
The athletic ability of the cast is made even more impressive by the risks clearly being taken as the performers are lifted high above the stage to perform on their various apparatus. And the confidence with which they do so speaks to a level of competency, training and direction that will see this troupe continue to take further steps (and leaps, and somersaults) forward.