The last time I saw Martin Burton was forty years ago
standing in the High Street Winchester in his Zippo the Clown outfit banging an
eight inch nail up his nose. Since then
he has progressed to being an entrepreneur of circus of international standing who
can measure himself against the names of Smart, Chipperfield and Mills and if
not P.T. Barnum. Which may lead you to suppose he is all about flakey flim flam. But Martin lives and breathes circus and he
has devoted himself to it. He is one of the founders of the Academy of Circus
Arts and proud owner of Zippo’s Circus, one of the largest tenting circuses in the
country. Now he brings a version of the great tradition to the West End.
Cirque Berserk is Unapologetic circus. High octane and relentlessly enjoyable. It is there to remind you, if you have
forgotten, just how good circus can be.
There is not a hint of the irony that accompanies some modern circus. There
is no bookending with any cod narrative or overblown showmanship, it stands on
its own as a marvellous thing that makes even the staidest old watcher’s heart
beat a little quicker. The whole
spectacle is put together with the craftsmanship of the West End stage allied
with the raw energy and power of a tenting circus. The music, costume and lighting are of the
highest order. The show brings genuine gasps of amazement and whoops of
pleasure.
Martin Burton can be justly proud of bringing together such
an internationally significant troupe who have developed into a family of
individuals who seem to revel in their skills and who delight in sharing them
with their audience.
If you want to be philosophic about it, this was a show
about pure enjoyment and the pleasure of being alive and if that brings a
couple of hours of joy to the lives of those watching then that is all the
justification in the world.
