Circus Klezmer

Apparently inspired by the dream-like paintings of Marc Chagall, a quartet of klezmer musicians are joined by a number of performers; acrobatics, trapeze artists, jugglers, general slapstick/comic turns in performing an energetic and sometimes anarchic-looking re-enacting of a traditional Eastern European wedding celebration and the lead up to it…

Klezmer seems to entail the full range of human emotions; from despair to the joyous, which is reflected in the simple story of the village ‘clown’ losing the couple’s wedding rings. Chaos and pandemonium ensues, with the cast acting out a series of scenes; from the highly aesthetic look of the trapeze/silks to crazed slapstick/acrobatics, with plenty of audience participation thrown in and the use of more than just the theatre’s  stage – one man had to endure being part of the act for half the show, although he was a good sport!

With the Theatre Royal Brighton providing a suitably old school/music hall feel, this largely wordless show appealed to all ages, although there were occasions, when the action lulled, that children’s attentions were averted elsewhere.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 26 May 2012
Rating:
Jeff Hemmings