Circus Starr has been running for more than 30 years and raises money for the local charities of the towns it visits.
Circus Starr is an all-encompassing circus show with something for the whole family. Tickets for the show are donated by local businesses to give everyone the chance to experience the fun and excitement of the circus. The show has special changing places, toilets and facilities, so is very inclusive and accessible.
All the performances of this year’s winter tour were on stage rather than the traditional Big Top setting and we visited at the Lowestoft Marina Theatre, which was a great fit for the performance.
The show started at 7pm, with the doors opening around 30 minutes before. The performance lasted for one and a half hours, with a short interval. This performance of the sell-out show was special as it had a British Sign Language interpreter on stage for those hard of hearing.
Dancing in the aisles
The show began with the entire cast on the stage to welcome everyone, giving a sneak preview of the show with juggling, flips and stunts, to the song ‘Join the Circus’. The first act was clown David Sosman and Ringmistress Lorna with the health and safety skit; the audience was in stitches at David’s interpretation of each rule.
Fingers Crossed, an incredible acrobatic hand-to-hand duo, was next, performing impressive flips and balancing with a bit of breakdancing and comedy rolled in. This was an exciting routine that showed great strength but had a humorous twist.
Next up, Kate Mitchell showcased the Lollipop Hoop, an act that is perfect for a theatre setting without a proper rigging. Kate performed some impressive gymnastic moves before spinning on the hoop, showing great flexibility. This isn’t an act seen very often, but Kate performed it beautifully.
The legendary King Julian from the film Madagascar performed a high energy breakdance routine which the audience loved and it got the little ones dancing in the aisles, which added to the family atmosphere. It was good to see the children be able to express themselves and join in with the dancing.
Returning with the magic bag act, clown David got the audience to throw an imaginary ball into a paper bag, whilst he ‘magically’ made the bag move and made it sound as if the ball really had landed in it. The children were amazed at this and were trying to work out how the trick was performed. It was just the right kind of act for this style of show, which held the audience’s attention fully and didn’t go on for too long.
Nula Hula followed with her LED hula hoop act, performing tricks and gymnastic moves whilst twirling the hoops. A highlight of the act was when the LED lights of the hoops spelled ‘Circus Starr’. The audience was clearly impressed by the lights on the hoops, with “wows” heard throughout the theatre.
Closing the first half, the female artistes performed an energetic dance to the song ‘Be Our Guest’ whilst holding flashing light wands that were on sale.
The second half
The first act after the interval was Antonio Garcia with his handstand routine, which included flips and a one-handed handstand whilst spinning around, showing Antonio’s incredible talent, balance and control. The audience loved this act and it got the biggest applause.
Clown David returned, balancing a bucket of water on his head and pretending to throw the (empty) bucket over the audience, which brought great laughter from the children. He later came on stage carrying a stick, trying to work out what it is used for and making the audience laugh before blowing a feather out of it and then catching and balancing the feather on his head.
Another high energy dance, to the Vengabus song, had the artistes throwing giant balloons into the audience, which the children loved batting around. Marcus from Fingers Crossed returned to juggle balls, then rings, catching them on his head much to the amusement of the audience, and finishing with clubs.
The final act was a BMX display from Csabi Bozso, which included Csabi doing handstands whilst riding the bike, plus hops and stunts such as balancing on one wheel with no hands whilst moving around the stage.
Shaun, one of the stage crew, came onto the stage, wearing a clown’s nose whilst Csabi jumped over him, knocking the nose off with the front tyre. This was a great act to finish on, and held the audience’s attention throughout.
This led to the Circus Starr finale, showcasing the ‘Shout Circus Starr’ song, with Lorna and David teaching the audience how to sign the three words so that everyone could join in with the song. The artistes then joined the audience in the aisles, bringing to an end an excellent show presented by a small but incredibly talented, hardworking and versatile team.
