Going to the Circus at the theatre – Cirque Berserk!

Ad disclosure: We were given press tickets to this show & souvenirs for the purpose of this review post.

Yesterday evening we headed into town as we had been invited to the opening night of Cirque Berserk’s new 2020 tour, at the Birmingham REP. The girls were very excited to be seeing the circus, and were wondering what was in store, as I gave away very little details to them before the show.

Cirque Berserk is not the normal kind of production we are familiar with going to see at the REP; instead it is a full-on circus performance, reworked for the stage. You get the same classic circus acts in a fantastic spectacle of a show, and get to enjoy it all from a comfortable seat in a heated theatre.

We were not disappointed by Cirque Berserk in the least. In fact, we were amazed, wowed, astonished, wonderstruck, and incredibly entertained. Oh, and absolutely terrified at times… not once was a safety net involved, and the show included lots of people being suspended in the air, catapulted around the stage, and coming in very close contact with fire, knives, arrows, and motorbikes.

Georgie and Lydia (along with James and myself, and the whole audience) spent the show gasping, squealing, cheering and clapping as the different acts entertained us with their tricks and skills. There were funny moments, beautiful moments, and jaw-dropping moments. The acrobatics of the Timbuktu Tumblers, Antonio & Connor Garcia, and the Khadgaa Troupe were fantastic, and the high flying moves from Hulan, Duo Garcia, and the Berserk Dancers & Aerial Ballet were spell-bounding to watch.

As well as acrobatic stunts of all kinds and the fab aerial acts, there were unicyclists, a contortionist, a strong man, a knife thrower (& his brave wife!), a giant robot, and the amusing crowd-pleaser that is Paulo Dos Santos. Paulo was a particular favourite of Lydia, who told me today that ‘the little man was funny’ – he was the best type of modern day clown, with a humorous act supported by his obvious skill at tumbling and acrobatics.

Lydia captivated by the show at Cirque Berserk

The grand finale of the show was the Lucius Team who took to the stage on their motorbikes, and raced around in the inside of the Globe of Death. At one point FIVE bikers were riding around upside down at high speed, narrowly missing touching one another. The act was so well choreographed and the riders so skilled – we were amazed by their talent.

The Cirque Berserk show is around 1hr 50min long, including a 15min interval, and is on twice a day at the Birmingham REP until 23rd Feb. After their run at the REP is complete, they are touring the country, visiting Exeter, Edinburgh, Southampton, Wycombe, Lincoln, Cambridge, Nottingham, Inverness & Bromley. You can find out more on their website.