Circus of Horrors: The Ventriloquist Review
We have been reviewing Circus of Horrors shows for several years now and have always enjoyed their bizarre mix of rock and roll, gore and humour. Following their massive success on Britain’s Got Talent last year, their fan base has grown even more and the packed theatre included teenagers, gore hounds and middle aged couples all looking for a fun night out! Fortunately they came to the right place:
The show opens with a fun riff on the Britain’s Got Talent audition process, where dull and boring acts meet their untimely demise at the hands of Dr Haze. It would seem that Simon Cowell is clearly missing a trick! We are sure many of us would like to see some acts on the ITV talent show get this kind of treatment - maybe this could be the new twist to liven up a potentially tired format?
This fun introduction is just the interlude to a dark tale of lust and revenge that loosely brings together the disparate threads that make up this bizarre circus. Unlike in previous years, the “back story" this year actually runs through the show and the whole experience feels more complete for it. Of course, at the end of the day, the show is a menagerie of different circus acts and tricks and no connecting story can really explain the jump from someone having their tongue cut out to a half naked man swinging around the auditorium after being lifted from a bath full of water!
But back to that story – a tragic tale of a skilled ventriloquist, a beautiful circus performer and a very sick and twisted ventriloquist dummy. Whereas previous shows have generally just relied on the rock styling of Dr Haze, this year, his female partner is allowed more time to sing and both of them give great vocal performances throughout the show. They are backed up by the talented Circus of Horrors band who switch between moods and musical styles at the drop of a hat. One minute pumping out heavy rock, the next something more moody and dramatic to accompany the onstage action.
And it’s the onstage action that this show is all about – we want to see sword swallowing, we want to see amazing acts of strength and flexibility, and we want to see tumbling skeletons. All of these (plus much more) are here for our enjoyment and no act ever outstays its welcome. The show is so fast paced and frantic that it switches from balletic beauty, to comedy horror in moments with a dash of nudity and gore thrown in for good measure!
If you have seen a COH show in recent years, then you may have seen certain performances before. The "vacuum" trick still remains hysterically funny however many times we see it, while other acts have tried to subtly change the content and offer something new.
There aren’t many dates left of this tour but Haze is already planning ahead for next year. We caught up with him after the show and it's clear that this year will see some exciting appearances (both in the UK) and on international television. Planning has also started on the over-the-top Halloween shows that always kick off the start of the season. As to what acts will be involved and what the next tour's narrative will be, we can only guess at the moment. But if the last 3 or 4 years' shows can be taken as an indicator, we suggest you book as soon as you can to make sure you get a good seat. Although you may not want to be right at the front - you may end up splattered with blood or getting a very close up view of a dwarf's private parts!
The Circus of Horrors could never be called high art and clearly doesn’t purport to be! The show knows exactly what it is and revels in the fact that it is loud, brash, rude and sometimes difficult to watch. But if you can accept that and go with the flow then you will have a fun couple of hours that will leave you talking long after you leave the auditorium!
The show opens with a fun riff on the Britain’s Got Talent audition process, where dull and boring acts meet their untimely demise at the hands of Dr Haze. It would seem that Simon Cowell is clearly missing a trick! We are sure many of us would like to see some acts on the ITV talent show get this kind of treatment - maybe this could be the new twist to liven up a potentially tired format?
This fun introduction is just the interlude to a dark tale of lust and revenge that loosely brings together the disparate threads that make up this bizarre circus. Unlike in previous years, the “back story" this year actually runs through the show and the whole experience feels more complete for it. Of course, at the end of the day, the show is a menagerie of different circus acts and tricks and no connecting story can really explain the jump from someone having their tongue cut out to a half naked man swinging around the auditorium after being lifted from a bath full of water!
But back to that story – a tragic tale of a skilled ventriloquist, a beautiful circus performer and a very sick and twisted ventriloquist dummy. Whereas previous shows have generally just relied on the rock styling of Dr Haze, this year, his female partner is allowed more time to sing and both of them give great vocal performances throughout the show. They are backed up by the talented Circus of Horrors band who switch between moods and musical styles at the drop of a hat. One minute pumping out heavy rock, the next something more moody and dramatic to accompany the onstage action.
And it’s the onstage action that this show is all about – we want to see sword swallowing, we want to see amazing acts of strength and flexibility, and we want to see tumbling skeletons. All of these (plus much more) are here for our enjoyment and no act ever outstays its welcome. The show is so fast paced and frantic that it switches from balletic beauty, to comedy horror in moments with a dash of nudity and gore thrown in for good measure!
If you have seen a COH show in recent years, then you may have seen certain performances before. The "vacuum" trick still remains hysterically funny however many times we see it, while other acts have tried to subtly change the content and offer something new.
There aren’t many dates left of this tour but Haze is already planning ahead for next year. We caught up with him after the show and it's clear that this year will see some exciting appearances (both in the UK) and on international television. Planning has also started on the over-the-top Halloween shows that always kick off the start of the season. As to what acts will be involved and what the next tour's narrative will be, we can only guess at the moment. But if the last 3 or 4 years' shows can be taken as an indicator, we suggest you book as soon as you can to make sure you get a good seat. Although you may not want to be right at the front - you may end up splattered with blood or getting a very close up view of a dwarf's private parts!
The Circus of Horrors could never be called high art and clearly doesn’t purport to be! The show knows exactly what it is and revels in the fact that it is loud, brash, rude and sometimes difficult to watch. But if you can accept that and go with the flow then you will have a fun couple of hours that will leave you talking long after you leave the auditorium!
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You Review
You Review
Complete rip off at 22 quid a ticket. Shoddy effects and tricks, forced humour that got boring v quickly, bad sound and poor set design. The few good acts not given enough time 2 shine. Not gory enough either.
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