Cirkus Inferno (New Victory Theatre, New York)

Published by: Luke Tudball on 22nd Jun 2007 | View all blogs by Luke Tudball

It’s not often that the circus comes to town, but for Daredevil Opera Company it’s almost every day! And this is no ordinary circus. It’s like circus on adrenaline with jet roller skates, slapstick humour, mess, and popcorn – lots of popcorn. These guys are so funny, it’s dangerous! This show is unlike anything you could expect, but fantastic all the same.

Despite the name, there’s no opera here, unless you count the epic style of the show. With almost no dialogue some may be put off, but don’t be. The company communicate perfectly well. Some fantastic visual effects combine with cartoonesque sound and pyrontechnics, a pristine (most of the time) Frenchman (Anthony Venisse), a huge pet dog and much much more. The two main characters, Lucky (Jonah Logan) and Lady (Amy Gordon), may be reminiscent of a mixed up version of Buster Keaton and a well-known canine cartoon, but I suspect that is the entire point.

Where they get their energy from, I have no idea. These two, Logan and Gordon, seem to have boundless reserves and this translates into a high-speed extravaganza of mayhem. Every child’s fantasy with things that spray, things that explode, things that break wind! Being an old stick-in-the-mud, before the show I was not so sure if it was not going to be more aimed at people half my age, but my by the end, all that was forgotten and children young and old were roaring with laughter.

After the show Logan and Gordon met up with many of their young fans to sign whoopee cushions and other assorted toys that give parents nightmares, but it was great to see children in awe of their ‘favouritest clowns ever’.

For more information on the Daredevil Theatre Company and ‘Cirkus Inferno’, you can visit their website: www.daredeviloperacompany.com

For more information on the New Victory Theatre, you can visit:www.newvictory.org