Something rather exciting is happening in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London, as the Revel Puck Circus have their pop-up village and Big Top set up until 2 Jun.
A young non-profit company with a big community focus, the nine performers and their crew have created The Nose Dive Assembly, the third show in their ‘Risk’ trilogy.
Big, ambitious, and joyful, this has families in mind and brings the thrills and spills of ‘the greatest show on earth’ into the field.
The acts begin with the trapeze and end with the ‘wheel of death’, performed by the only female duo specialists in the country (Fiona Thornhill &.Emily Lannigan).
This is a company who are playful and fun, bringing circus to those who are perhaps new to it, or who can’t afford it, with special pricing for local people or those on low incomes.
On display, you will find aerial work, high wire, teeterboard, group acrobatics, and moments of clowning. Performers are versatile, skilled, and show real talent and commitment.
It might be possible to include a bit more audience interaction for younger viewers or more comedy/ clowning, but there is very clever use of a drone, and the music selection for the performances was fantastic, with music from the 50s to present day.
Most of the performers came on without introduction during performance, so let’s celebrate them in full here – Fiona Thornhill, Emily Lannigan, Imani Vital, Poppy Plowman, Annie Zita Bachman, Arielle Lauzon, Sebastian Parker, Louis Gift, and Thorne Bailey.
They work as both team and as specialists. I was particularly impressed by Gift’s acrobatics, Plowman’s high-wire walk, Lauzon’s clowning, and Lannigan/Parker’s teeterboard work.
Circus thrives on spectacle, and works on trust. Luke Hallgarten as artistic director of Revel Puck Circus, has added just a little bit of sparkle and energy to a field 20 minutes away from Stratford Station.
A treat for all ages, The Nose Dive Assembly by the Revel Puck Circus continues to 2 Jun with tickets here.
***.5
All images taken during 18 May performance by Louise & Colin Penn.