Awe or nothing

By David Lawrence

The Great China Circus

ASB Stadium


"Awesome" tends to cover anything that has gone down well with kids, from a mindless computer game to a tasteless hamburger, but for once mine were using the word correctly in their verdict on this show.

The skill, strength, athleticism and courage of these acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, clowns and the rest indeed inspire awe, and not just in children.

There are loads of hold-your-breath stunts: seven women atop an impossibly high and leaning pile of chairs; an umbrella-spinning unicyclist on the high wire; a guy on a single stilt doing a double backward somersault after being bounced off a see-saw ...

But that's only part of the show. There's also the grace of a body twirling from a single suspended rope, connected by wrist or ankle; the split-second symmetry of a trapeze team; a balletic 15-year-old, her seemingly weightless frame supported by one arm.

And comedy. Two clowns and a youngster do a really funny keep-more-and-more-plates-spinning routine, although it's a pity the duo later go on far too long with a knife-throwing mock-up that involves duping a member of the audience.

The first half is a history of Chinese circus - four vignettes showing how the entertainment evolved from busking many centuries BC to festivals of the 18th century.

It may be less spectacular than the second - which is billed as 21st-century circus - but with the period detail, including glorious costume, it is no less engaging. And the traditional Chinese music is more fitting than the Western soundtrack that follows.

There were a few mistakes on Friday night. But those who slipped tried again and the applause was that much louder when they made it.

Although the performers don't speak to the audience - there's a voice-over introducing the acts - their enthusiasm and commitment set up a strong rapport.

The circus is back in town next weekend. See it, especially if you think you've seen it all.