@ Underbelly Circus Hub, Edinburgh, until Wed Aug 26 @ 13:25
They fly through the air with the greatest of ease – well actually they don’t. In Ockam’s Razor what they actually do is cling and swing and twist and turn on steel frames and ropes – with the greatest of ease.
The show’s in two parts. In the first three performers – two female, one male – hang suspended on what appears to be a steel raft in the air, like survivors of a shipwreck. As they swing, sway, spin and play across the framework their interactions move from innocent to explorative to dark. Romance blossoms and jealously wells up, threatening their already precarious position. By the end, they’ve reached a safe harbour and we’ve been dazzled by their athleticism and artistry.
The second part is lighter fare. With elegance and abandon, four of the performers climb, swing, hang and wrap themselves in a silken rope suspended by a pulley. For those of us who struggled to climb that rope in the gym hall, it’s both dispiriting and a thing of wonder to see what they can do. It’s easy to forget that there’s just one piece of rope here as they cats-cradle it in different shapes to swing and hang from and coil themselves into it to be hoisted to the rafters.
This isn’t traditional circus performance. It’s more physical theatre than spangled leotards, and some of the younger audience were a little restless, but if you want to see gifted aerialists with grace and artistry then this is the show for you.