Review: Laguna Bay by Giffords Circus ★★★★
Giffords Circus – the world’s best circus – serve up a slice of pastel paradise, vintage Americana and fun acts, in a field in the picturesque Cotswolds.
★★★★ Laguna Bay by Giffords Circus | Fennels Farm, Stroud | Touring Throughout the Summer
In an increasingly dark world, Giffords Circus brings joy and hope with its trademark vintage magic, this time set in a 1950s/60s US beach resort with an ice cream parlour, Teddy boys and Grease-style chicks.
The world the circus creates, with its stunning pastel cyclorama – from designer takis and the team – plus neons galore, is pure candyfloss for the eyes. The music, performed live on stage by house band the Semitones, takes 50s hits, rockabilly and some anachronistic yet welcome musical numbers, seem relevant and fresh. The live singing and vocals from Mikey Fletcher and Nell O’Hara are a wonder to behold, and carry the circus turns to a higher level of circus euphoria.
The circus acts themselves are fun, although there’s not a standout wow performance – apart, of course, from the incredible return of Tweedy, a comedic legend who makes a cold-start deck chair routine a total triumph. Tweedy’s pursuit of an ice cream is essentially the main thread of the show, which sets narrative aside in favour of punchy stand-alone.
The biggest circus thrills come from the astounding Garcia Family, including young heartthrobs Antonio and Connor whose acro-balance routine using a hoverboard feels minty fresh. Their parents Pablo and Vikki are not to be upstaged, however, and their custom-made spectacular plane sequence feels like pure old-school show business gold.
The rest of the cast are fun and energetic: there’s kooky magic from Maxi (raising more than a few chuckles in his reluctant rivalry with Tweedy); Los Rivelinos’ messy act is worth waiting for; and the Etho-Salem troupe bring high-energy with group juggling and hoopdiving. The most memorable moments are the chaos scenes and group numbers which bring the whole cast together, like the exquisitely silly synchronised swim. Women are a little underrepresented in the boyish macho glee of the 1950s, but there’s room for a sultry but beautiful hair hang act from the Daniela & Noémi.
Gifford’s make their way nearer to London over the coming months (Chiswick House, 5-22 June), but it really is worth a trip to seek them out either at their home on Fennels Farm near Stroud, or at any number of locations across Wilthire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. It’s a pity public transport in Stroud doesn’t make a jaunt to the farm so easy – we walked the 2.5 miles from town, mostly uphill and hopping on to the grass verge whenever we encountered oncoming traffic. A shuttle bus for non-locals (and those who prefer not to drive) would be a real winner! A shout out for A&A Taxis though, who have never let us down on our Stroud trips.
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
