UK

Pirates Of The Carabina combine circus and drama to mixed effect in Flown

 

The Pirates Of The Carabina’s show hangs together – just
 (Picture: Matilda Temperley)
from:  metro.co.uk
By Robert Shore
Monday 10 Jun 2013
Circus acts are so much more multifarious now.
As well as all the regular aerial stuff, the members of international troupe Pirates Of The Carabina give you jokes, confessional monologues and genre-hopping musical performances. But though the range and ambition can’t be faulted, the quality of invention and execution is uneven.

The spoken-word sections are generally hit-and-miss and would benefit from some ruthless editing. Ellis Grover’s tale of youthful love is a meandering distraction from what should be the main focus – his wire-walking. Gwen Hales comes closest to striking a satisfying balance between character-based work and more traditional acrobatic daredevilry.

Attired in a sparkly diva dress and with a fixed, unnervingly bright smile on her lips, she comes on to the stage in a chariot drawn by a tiny toy horse. She then proceeds to chide the audience before becoming caught up in a spectacular equipment-malfunction gag.

Banks of instruments litter the sides of the playing area: punky guitar, wheezy accordion and skronky sax are variously deployed to create musical moods that range from winsome indie to keening folk and hard-edged rock. There’s even a drummer who swings out over the audience – very Mötley Crüe.

But it’s when the company focuses on the more traditional circus arts that they’re at their most effective – all the meticulous attempts at theatrical texturing pale beside the gasp-inducing wonder of Laura Moy’s Chinese pole work.
will also learn about the different types of animals in the show and how they are groomed and cared for.
 Prior to the show, there will be rides, a bouncy house and concessions starting at 4 p.m.