@ Underbelly Circus Hub, Edinburgh, until Sat 29 Aug 2015 @ 20:35
The Elephant in the Room is a theatrical circus show presented by Cirque Le Roux and staged in Underbelly’s new Circus Hub on The Meadows.
The show combines elements of classic film noir with breath-taking acrobatic feats and physical theatre. We are introduced to the characters in the style of a film with a projection rolling the credits, making for a very entertaining beginning, and showcasing how well this company blends styles together. There are only four members of the cast (Philip Rosenberg, Gregory Arsenal, Yannick Thomas and Lolita Costet) and they all excel at acting, dialogue and the physically demanding nature of the roles. They perform hand balancing, partner acrobatics and they all scale a Chinese pole that the performers rig themselves; they’re multi-talented and the action is non-stop.
The production is slick and full of very funny moments. Slapstick movements are very well choreographed and each performer has an unbelievable control of their body, ensuring that each move is absolutely precise.
At times the plot is a little hard to follow as the action dissolves more into the surreal but with this level of precision and world-class circus, it’s not something that matters. The success of this show is that it blends storytelling and circus together seamlessly. All the performers are very watchable as they embody film noir characters and the physical feats they perform are enough to make your jaw drop.