Daryl and Shona from CSR drivetime visit the Cirque

CSR’s Daryl Smith and Shona Eyre recently paid a visit to the new Marlowe theatre to see the Circus-Eloize, below is a review by Daryl of the performance.

The entire time I have lived in Canterbury I have been interested in the construction of the now reopened Marlowe theatre. Its new modern look has been celebrated by many and questioned by others, some feeling that it is now out of place in a city which surrounds itself in its history. I am not one of those people.

The new building suits Canterbury. It does not look like an eyesore. When walking along the high-street your attention is grabbed by the theatre, not because it looks out of place, but because it looks so exciting (at night the entire theatre is lit by a purple hue). When walking up to the entrance you can see through the large panes of glass to people eagerly anticipating entering the 1200-seater main auditorium (or the 150-300 studio, dependant on the event). Theatre-goers can be a put off by new theatres as sometimes, without age, a theatre can lack character. With The Marlowe Theatre, I disagree. The wooden finish panelled across the main auditorium stops it from feeling soulless. I questioned the new chairs’ style and colour (bright red) up until the moment I sat down and felt the most comfortable I ever have in a theatre chair. This is a huge sell to me as I find that back pain inducing theatre seating can ruin a show. After all, if you’re paying to sit in a theatre then you should, at the very least, enjoy the sitting part of the experience.

The first performance I watched at the new Marlowe theatre was Cirque Éloize with their current touring show iD. Cirque Éloize is one of the worlds greatest circus troupes, winning numerous awards and high critical acclaim. The word ‘cirque’ doesn’t do Cirque Éloize justice though, they are far more than a simple circus.

Unlike that of any other circus performance I have seen in the past, the 16 different performer’s acts merged into each other and felt part of the same show. Circus performers and their performances can sometimes feel a little distant from the other acts they are included with. Cirque Éloize are multi-skilled so each gave varying performances and joined in with the other acts as support artists. This worked so well thanks to the amazingly talented artistic director Jeannot Painchaud who took full advantage of the casts many and their wide-ranging talents.

The show opened with energy that continued to build, and flaws were almost non-existant. Every movement was timed perfectly to the brilliant soundtrack; the electro track used during the human wheel act was a noted favourite. I spent so much time throughout the show utterly shocked at what I was witnessing. The first dance looked impossibly perfect; combining both contemporary dance, hand balancing and amazing shows of strength. Old circus staples such as the tower of chairs, the silks, the aerial hoop and the straps are given brand new life with exciting urban takes, which helped prove why Cirque Éloize stand out above many other Circus performances. I never knew, until watching iD, that juggling could be so creative. The use of surfaces to bounce the juggling-balls off of gave a completely new dimension to an act that could have been stale. The versatile stage set was constantly changing with new openings and new areas. The revealing of a trampoline is one of the greatest and most creative parts of the show. The set complemented the different acts by using projections onto the stage, making the scene transform from a building site to a busy street within seconds.

It was a shame that the timing of the first half’s finale was thrown off slightly as a few of the performers stumbled a little on the giant skipping ropes they were using. The audience were able to ignore this however, as the performers had proved themselves skilled enough to deserve a huge response when the curtain fell, regardless of any rare errors. At the interval, and the final curtain call, many people gave Cirque Éloize a much-deserved standing ovation.

Cirque Éloize with iD ends at the Marlowe theatre this Saturday and some tickets are still available so I strongly advise that you go along to see one of the most exciting and innovative circus performances in the world.