Boundlessly energetic and uplifting circus show, The Ruckus: Everyone’s Invited by The Revel Puck Circus is playing at Waltham Forest Town Hall until the 1st of January.
Arriving from the wintery streets of Walthamstow, through the majestic entrance gates of Waltham Forest Town Hall, the grandeur and magic steps up a gear as you enter the lavish Speigeltent, immediately transporting you to an environment of wonder where it feels like anything can happen.
Members of The Revel Puck Circus are dotted around, greeting the crowd, settling us in with welcoming banter. They create a cheery, family-friendly atmosphere and the sense of anticipation is palpable. A slight surprise is the size of the stage. As one of the smallest performance platforms I have seen when it comes to circus, it made me wonder if they could possibly deliver the kind of awesome human spectacle you become accustomed to when watching contemporary circus.
Well, I was wrong to be wary. Very wrong. This show made use of every inch of the stage, proving their skill and precision to perform such incredible feats under the pressure of having so little space.
Most impressively with the use of a Cyr Wheel, which twisted, turned and spun on a sixpence for a thrilling sequence. There is an impish joy to the troupe as they transition from set piece to set piece. An off-hand and quirky humour runs throughout and the clown keeps us consistently laughing in the role of a hapless administrator, trying their best keep on top of oodles of paperwork.
Standout sequences of the night were a hilarious balloon act, a raft of elegant aerial work (with special mention for the Hair Hang) and the Hula Hooper who span so many hoops that she made my daughter delightedly shout ‘she’s like a human slinky!’ and there lies the true review of the piece, the fact that my daughter was absolutely enraptured by it.
For me, I judge a show by my impromptu ‘wow-o-meter’, capturing how many times the words ‘wow, ooh, woah’ and ‘oof’ escaped my mouth believe me and The Ruckus: Everyone’s Invited was jam-packed with it. If there is any criticism at all, then some of the transitional patter could be tighter and there could be more focus on directing the audience exactly when to whoop and applaud the complexity of a trick but this takes nothing away the expert tumbling, youthful exuberance and the irrepressible atmosphere of fun. This show captivates and delights audiences of all ages.
