Flown: Pirates of the Carabina

Finding the balance in a show of this nature, one where physical strength and agility lies at the core of the performance, so often fails. I find myself oohing and aahing along with the crowd at the feats of derring do but leave feeling somewhat empty. But not this time. POC strike in this show a clever note, pitching their circus skills against a thread of personal disclosure in the form of monologues, granted some better than others, but most engaging, some moving and all revealing a truth that by following ones heart you might stand a better chance of finding a level of genuine happiness. This I liked a lot. I liked much of the live music too, okay there were a few moments when the tuning and timing was less than precise, but it was still joyful and on one occasion when a gentle song was overplayed with traditional Christmas carols I found it stirringly beautiful.
As for those feats of sometimes terrifying derring do, few do it better and seldom do they do it with POC’s charm or lack of pretense. Sequences on a high wire where the monologue was performed simultaneously with the balancing and the addition of blues harp solos, were exceptional and the part executed on the Chinese pole was breathtakingly balletic. In contrast there were segments of simple slapstick comedy and moments of delightful silliness. All in all a show of great charm with moments of genuine exhilaration.
19 December
Brighton Dome
Andrew Kay
4.5 stars