[2012149] Fourplay
Pants Down Circus @ Gluttony – Excess Theatre
9:30pm, Sat 17 Mar 2012
I’d seen a lot of spectacular circus this Fringe: my pick had been Knock Off, about whom I raved to anyone remotely interested in circus acts… but a lot of people had raved to me about Fourplay. A gap was made in the Schedule, and I scurried into Gluttony for the last time this year to be greeted with a queue that doubled back on itself… word of mouth, it seems, had spread.
And with good reason.
The four NICA graduates that comprise Pants Down Circus bring a freshness and exuberance to their performances, with a set of circus regulars – and a few new tricks – that are so tightly packed in that it almost doesn’t leave you time to breathe. Normal tricks are given a new lease on life – take, for example, the juggling of glowing skittles – and there’s tons of humour thrown in as well (a nod and a wink with the light sabre bit).
The vertical bar work is fantastic; the tube balances astonishing; the strength work, with one of the cast being slung and tossed about the stage by the other three, is just flat-out awesome. There’s no gender bias, either – the two girls happily get involved with some of the strength-work, and the guys cheekily (partially) strip between segments. The pace never really seems to let up, driven by a great selection of music.
The Excess was packed for this performance… as well it should have been. There may not have been an attempt at an overreaching narrative in the performance, but Pants Down know their tricks can speak for themselves; this was really cracking entertainment.