Whenever the circus is in town, we always try and pay them a visit. With Zippo’s Circus feeling like an experience from the past, you never really know whether it’ll return, so when it arrives we make sure it’s in our diary to go!
Cirque Berserk is the sister show of Zippo’s Circus and describes itself as a ‘Berserkus’ as opposed to a circus, and after our show on Thursday night I can wholeheartedly agree with their statement!
Located near the King Alfred Leisure Centre on Hove Lawns, the setting is perfect for a family night out or a well-deserved date night. You’ll be thrilled and wowed – often looking through your fingers – and will go home truly amazed. The circus is a wonderful mix of traditional circus and modern day acrobatics.
Working with creative teams from the West End, the company boasts 35 incredibly skilled performers from across the world, offering everything from contortion, knife throwing, acrobatics, and balance.
The show started with the Timbuktu Tumblers who got the crowd going in an instant with their impressive flips and extreme human pyramids! They come and go throughout the show, bringing something fresh each time.
Next, Bolas Argentinas – one of our favourites from Zippo’s – stunned the audience with their drums and cracking whips during the first half, and then their balancing act (using their feet!) during the second half. These two are true show people and captured us every time they took to the stage.
Other acts throughout the show included Elberel, a flexible archer, Revolution Troupe, the catapulting, high-flying, acrobats, and the knife throwing couple, Toni and his wife Nikol. As with any circus, as well as the shock, there’s also lots laughs, and showman / comic Paulo Dos Santos does just that – keeping you smiling in between acts (he’s also a pretty decent acrobat too!).
But what captivated us the most was how inclusive the show was. A first for us was seeing the brilliant Four Hands & Two Wheels, a Rio based duo where Rafael is in a wheelchair. The strength between these two is incredible – not to mention the trust. Their performance left my mouth open wide throughout. For T though, The Lucius Team were his favourite – the petrol fuelled hell raisers who leave you breathless with their Globe of Death.
The show itself is set in two halves, with a 20 minute interval in-between, and seamlessly glides through periods of grace and tranquil to sudden jolts of suspense and thrill. It was a whole new experience for us and really mixed up the definition of Circus!
The show is at Hove Lawns until 3rd September 2019. If you’d like tickets to Cirque Berserk with a little 30% discount, simply enter code BRN30L at the checkout via the Cirque Berserk See Tickets page or visit the Cirque Berserk Facebook page for more offers.
Disclosure: We were offered complimentary tickets to Cirque Berserk in exchange for an honest review, however all thoughts, opinions, and imagery are our own.
