Arts

Theatre Review: Carnival of Lost Souls

This wonderful gothic circus served as cabaret is spellbinding. It has all of the usual elements one would expect. Feats of strength, superb balancing acts, clowns, magic tricks but all blended into a tragic love story of unrequited love.

Presented by Space Theatre
Reviewed 10 Nov 2017

This wonderful gothic circus served up in cabaret form was spellbinding. It had all of the usual elements one would expect. Feats of strength, superb balancing acts, clowns, magic tricks but all blended into a tragic love story of unrequited love.

The entire show is beautifully staged from beginning to end; the strange haunted souls who enter with lamps at the start take on the familiar roles from the circus: the Ring Master, the strongman, the clown, the acrobats, the magician and the fortune-teller, each with their own place in the story. The lighting of Jason Bovaird and the amazing costumes by Clockwork Butterfly enhances all. The music performed by Platonic ranges in style but is always appropriate and often haunting. This is supported by the excellent voices of the clown, Anthony Craig and the Fortune Teller, Aurora Kurth who with the Ring Master, Simon P Storey are the central characters.

When the crowd were not enthralled by the love story they were gasping at the aerial feats of Hannah Trott and the conjuring skills of Richard Vegas, not to mention the enviable balance and skills of Circus Trick Tease and This Side Up. In amongst all of this talent was an incredible bolero type dance which clearly demonstrated not only the skill of the dancers, but also choreographer Yvette Lee. The depth of talent was evident.

Conceived and produced by Graham Coupland, this is a show to startle, delight and stir the emotions all wrapped up in a gothic love story: truly theatre noir.

Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @franeds

 

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