Circa’s Peep Show as part of the Underbelly Festival.

Peep Show is Circa’s latest extraordinary show to hit London. Whilst the performers are all Circus trained it is so much more than a traditional circus, in fact I would go so far as to tell anyone going to see it to expel all notions of what a circus is prior to seeing Peep Show. Circa’s Peep Show is more of a blend of contemporary dance,  acrobatics, aerial arts with not a clown in sight.

There is a cast of 7. The show opens with Jessica Connell performing an impressive routine with impeccable timing with hula hoops, later on we see Ela Bartilomo perform contortion and my favourite solo spot of the night Jarred Dewey on the static trapeze. However despite their shining solo moments the standout fact is the strong ensemble feel that comes across and how vital each of them are to the show.

The stunts are jaw dropping with many of them being flung across the stage, almost as if they were flying, at numerous points of the night. At other times they are standing 3 high on each others shoulders. On numerous occasions you hear audible gasps from the audience and spontaneous applause showing just how impressive some of these feats were.

The show is 70 minutes long and this flies by. Not a word is spoken but the interest is held by switching from a death defying stunt one moment to a funny or sexy moment the next, meaning you never quite know what is coming. The pounding music compliments the action but never distracts from it.

The themes throughout never quite came across in their entirety. The programme states that Peep Show is about ‘looking and about being seen,’ however how this translated to some of the stunts performed I wasn’t quite sure. That being said, did that bother me? Not really!

Circa’s Peep Show is certainly different from anything else out there at the moment. Whilst the underlying theme of the show may not be the strongest the entertainment factor and the sheer wonderment at what the performers can do with their bodies is worth seeing the show for.

Circa’s Peep Show is playing at the Underbelly Festival until 18th August. To find out more about Circa’s Peep Show visit their website.

On a side note prior to the performance I spent some time in the Underbelly Bar! They have several small food outlets and also some well stocked bars so if you are catching Circa’s Peep Show, or indeed any other show at the Underbelly I would recommend getting there early in order to grab some food and drink pre-show to soak up the atmosphere.

If you like this review you may also like my review of Giffords Circus, Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella and 42nd Street.