Cirque du Soleil is as daring as ever
RUNNING on the theme of evolution, Cirque du Soleil’s latest show Totem is going back to nature.
It’s not a bad place to start, as there is not a circus troupe around that makes seriously challenging aerial acrobatics and prop work look as natural and effortless as this lithe bunch do.
When a dozen or so gymnasts in amphibian-print leotards started catapulting themselves around an interconnected dome of bars for the entry scene, it became clear that Totem wanted to start with a Bang – the Big sort, perhaps.
From there, we were given a unicycle-riding quartet who threw little cups into the air and caught each one on their heads, a male/female double act who performed a series of incredible holds in perfect equilibrium and a roller skating pair who spun so fast around a circular drum that it was impossible to see where he ended and she began.
A mad scientist character who climbed inside a transparent tube before using its walls as extra bounce for the ten or so florescent balls he juggled was also a highlight.
You may also want to watch:
Flipping from prehistoric times to the modern day with each scene, the show’s theme took a backseat to the visual skill of the performers.
Some episodes were obvious, others less so.
Most Read
- 1 Teenager found dead in Victoria Park
- 2 Driver arrested after police 'drugs patrol' stops car in Whitechapel
- 3 Two in five people in Tower Hamlets may have had Covid-19
- 4 Leyton Orient sign Dan Kemp on a permanent deal from West Ham United
- 5 'Laptop bonanza' for schoolchildren in Poplar to help survive lockdown gloom
- 6 Drug and alcohol abuse by Tower Hamlets parents and children soars
- 7 Students in rent strike over Queen Mary's campus staying open during Covid emergency
- 8 'I can save the planet with my seaweed' scientist in east London claims
- 9 That's so raven: Everything you need to know about the guardians of the Tower
- 10 Gun seized after woman tells police she was threatened in Whitechapel
A group of performers dressed in highly realistic and varying ape get-ups to signify man’s evolution from hairy four legs to suit-donning two legs was amusing.
But the theme wasn’t always coherent and at times seemed to sidetrack from the idea of evolution completely.
The score, flitting to and from a Native American composition, was beautiful.
Anyone who has yet to see Cirque du Soleil perform will not be disappointed by the physical skill on offer.
You won’t find this sort of risk or precision in circus performance elsewhere.
Totem runs at The Royal Albert Hall until February 17.
Book ticket on 020 7589 8212.