Showing @ The Spiegeltent, St Andrew Square, Edinburgh until Sun 21 Dec 2014 @ 19:30

Drumroll, please! In childhood, I dreamt of running away to the circus. This is the sort of circus I would have joined. Forget the elephant turds, spangled leotards and stick-on good cheer. This is a contemporary take on traditional circus skills with a steampunk vibe. The costumes look homespun. One chap has a (scripted) wardrobe malfunction with his lederhosen that reveals… well, his chap. No budgie-smugglers these! The band’s drumkit is old petrol cans. But in that moment of theatrical magic when the trapeze swing is released and hangs above the audience my heart skipped a beat.

Scotch and Soda (a young, super-talented troupe of Aussies and Kiwis) has resurrected a host of circus routines now almost forgotten – from trapeze to tumbling to balancing and trick cycling. There’s even an act with performing budgies. This might sound like some awful filler from a 1970s variety telly show but it’s not. None of it is meant to be taken too seriously, although the daring acrobatics are real and skilful enough. The live music nestles comfortably in some twilight zone between skiffle and freeform jazz.

In the circus tradition hardly a word is spoken. The intimate setting of the Spiegeltent with its tiny, six-sided stage is hugely effective. Sitting in the ‘posh seats’ at the front you can almost smell the sweat and greasepaint. Thank goodness there are no elephants.