Oh what a circus…

…oh what a show. Nell Gifford ran away with a circus when she was 18. It inspired her and fiancé Toti Gifford to start their own and so Giffords Circus was born in 2000. Last week they came to town with Les Enfants du Paradis. It was a beautiful evening and Chiswick House and Gardens looked a picture of bucolic serenity as the radiant sun began its descent gleaming on the large white circus tent inviting us in to experience the show. My oh my what a delightfully entertaining show it is. Nell’s vision was to create a village green circus but once the crowds began to arrive the vibe became more West London hipster than Chipping Campden, many of them quaffing a beverage or chomping on a smash burger.
Once inside the tent – you can sit anywhere (back row good for something to sit against) – you’re transported, in my case, back to childhood, the days of traditional circus with clowns, animals and all the acts we have become accustomed to in the Big Tops. Tweedy the Clown, a Poirot who does things with cowbells that would make bovines moo including a rendition of I’m Singing in the Rain. The Ethio-Salem acrobatic troupe are dynamic flying through the air with incredible timing and an apparent ability to defy gravity while Romy Meggiolaro executes an entrancing act on trapeze to the tune of Debussy’s Clair de Lune.
However, the two acts that left indelible artistic marks were Sergi Buka, illusionist and shadow player, who produces extraordinary hand shadow imagery while riding his bike, and the charismatic Antony Cesar who provides a spectacular climax on rope and straps. The handsome design by takis atmospherically lit by Ian Scott, all making for a colourfully enjoyable experience. My one criticism, and where I part company with Nell, I don’t believe animals doing tricks belong in the circus of today. Her view? “A world without horses is no world for our circus.” Go see and make your own mind up, it really is quite a show.
From the circus tent to the denizens of Parliament. Harry Hill and Dave Brown, who previously combined in writing the X Factor spoof I Can’t Sing, have now produced TONY! (The Tony Blair Rock Opera) – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, described as “a musical like no other.” It’s not that but the writers certainly go to town on giving three-time general election winner (Starmer has a lot to live up to) a good comical kicking. Where Spitting Image started with that grotesquely funny puppet Hill and Brown follow with this amusingly nonsensical and crazily manic romp. It begins with Blair (Jack Whittle) floundering on his deathbed followed by the birth of his son. As he promised things did get better but then Iraq happened and the rest as they say is an unfortunate history. Whittle is a hoot as Blair, his look and mannerisms uncannily real and a delight for all those on the left of the current Labour Party as is Howard Samuels’ deliciously camp and vampish Peter Mandelson. Alastair, Cherie and Gordon also feature as does Saddam, Osama and George W Bush but by the end of this chronological romp the humour and wit begin to wither on the vine.
Finally, Magdalena Praxiou relishes a cruel crowd pleaser…
Verdi’s Il Trovatore (Royal Opera House) has been described as both cruel and crowd pleasing, the perfect operatic dichotomy, and Adele Thomas’s production is a wonderful blend of tragedy and surprising hilarity. Curses aplenty, two men yearning one woman and a mother who is hiding a hideous episode of infanticide. On an empty stage, save for a wide staircase, the plot and subplots unravel, each episode seeming to tumble downwards into the hellish abyss that is their fate. I’m not sure if the audience included most of Jamie Barton’s family but the response to her superlative performance of the cruelly fated mother Azucena was ecstatic. Rightly so, her tremendous mezzo soprano voice and ability to convey the tragedy of her past are a furnace of emotion.
Her daughter Leonora is sung with effortless gentility and sweetness by Marina Rebeka while Ricardo Massi’s Manrico, one of the men yearning after Leonora, is a very assured and strong portrayal, his sonorous tenor filling the auditorium with a rich sound. The chorus are terrific, full of energy and silliness, embracing their various roles with confidence and wit and Sir Antonio Pappano brings out the very best in the orchestra, and the visual effects are gorgeous. A cruel crowd pleaser indeed and one that hits every right note. Go!

Les Enfants du Paradis – www.giffordscircus.com
TONY!’ – on tour – www.tonyblairrockopera.co.uk
Il Trovatore – www.roh.org.uk