Cirque Berserk! – Riverside Studios

Imagine you could fly. Imagine that the air is your house, and that floating above the ground is where you thrive and show your true self, shining and gliding without any efforts. And then, you will understand what it feels to see Cirque Berserk!

Celebrating its tenth anniversary with a series of performances in Riverside Studios, this amazing theatre-circus spectacular combines contemporary circus-style artistry with a very traditional circus feeling in some of its acts. Inside of the stage, from the very beginning of the performance there is a huge cage in the shape of a ball, creating anticipation for what is presented as the main event, although every single moment of this show is charged with as much adrenaline and astonishing acrobatics.

Starting with a group of acrobats jumping ropes, it is a non-stop gasping in awe from beginning to end. With what looks like a retro-dystopian style and vibe, the acts coming one after the other barely giving the audience any moment to rest. Human piles of bodies flying from one side to the other of the stage, flying over each other and at several meters above the ground. Incredible aerial dancing and stunts that look as beautiful as they look exhausting. Feats of strength and skills like the vertical pole and juggling and knife throwing, and even a very unorthodox show of archery skills. And when you thought that it was all you could imagine, you see an incredible game of limbo defying the laws of physics, and angel-looking woman wrapped in aerial straps. The act of the motorcycles in The Globe of Death is also very impressive, and interesting to see, but every other act is equally beautiful, surprising or interesting.

It is then that you find the clown numbers that come up between some of the acts during the show very refreshing and entertaining, and a welcome rest to all the excitement. Although not laughing out loud at most of its jokes, the people felt endearment and empathy with what the clowns proposed, and there were a lot of “Aaawww” coming from the audience every time something unfortunate happened to the clown portrayed by Paulo Dos Santos. The amazing acrobatics and dancing competitions the same Dos Santos had with two groups of acrobats near the end of the first half were highly entertaining.

At times, the adrenaline-fueled succession of acts and the danger involved felt overwhelming, and some of the performances went further on trying to feed on this sensation of walking on the edge. In the performance I had the chance to observe, the most feared happened, when one slip meant one of the acrobats jumping at 10 meters of height missed the landing. However, the almost unbelievable skills of most of the performers, who padded him, prevented any injury. The acrobat immediately climbed up again in the shoulders of the two people holding the two people holding him, to jump in a front flip again, landing in the hands of the first pair, to show the audience a huge smile.

Anyone who can enjoy watching and admiring the prowess of human bodies should make some time to visit Riverside Studios and watch Cirque Berserk!

Playing until 11th March, https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/cirque-berserk-53269/

Reviewer: Gonzalo Sentana

Reviewed: 10th February 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★