LIMBO is a special event, a real ‘must see’, whether as part of the World Buskers Festival or in its own right. But gratitude to this year’s festival organisers is certainly due for giving Christchurch this opportunity.

LIMBO is this year’s headline act at Christchurch’s World Buskers Festival. It’s a spectacular, awe-inspiring circus-cabaret-acrobat show that really does live up to all the promotional hype. But its success is not due to the spectacle alone; there’s also considerable humour as well as music and hints of social commentary, and a palpable sense of rapport among the performers and musicians and their support team.

The ancient Roman poet, Juvenal, lamented the people’s diminishing sense of duty and lack of concern with the serious political and social issues of the day. All they now wanted, he said, was “bread and circuses” – i.e. food and entertainment. Hence, I presume, the name of this year’s festival.

But here, in LIMBO, like many contemporary ‘circus’ acts, we have entertainment flavoured with subtle reminders of some of the social issues of our day. Most obvious is a feeling of humanity as all the performers interact with one-another. And, if the musical contribution is foremost in conveying this, the international origins of the individual performers and the occasional, almost elusive, references to slavery, racism, sexuality, sexism, love, conflict and harmony, also contribute.

To say that the skills of the performers involve many breath-taking acts of contortion, balance, strength, daring, acrobatics, coordination and other traditional circus skills, would be to miss the way that, for example, acrobatics are turned into dance, balancing acts include engaging humour and so much else in which physical skills are made expressive, so that we have ‘art’ rather than mere entertainment and spectacle. But, make no mistake, the spectacle and entertainment remain astonishing to say the least.

This opening performance of LIMBO launches the 2019 festival with an invited audience of media and VIPs. The wonderful Spiegeltent is bursting at the seams with a well-hyped crowd that lifts the show’s charismatic atmosphere to almost fever pitch. The tent itself contributes a tangible hint of decadence and Victorian ambience with its colourful and decorative interior. Mirrors around the outer perimeter reflect everything that happens on stage, sometimes to striking effect, especially during an episode involving extensive use of fire and flames.

Like many modern circus acts, LIMBO integrates various solo ‘acts’ with continuous interaction among the performers. Although each has an individual segment in which their skills are highlighted, the blending of each episode with linking ensemble components brings a structural unity and a satisfying sense of a whole.

One vital element in this is contributed by the three outstanding musicians, although it’s hard to separate them from the others because they, too, often participate on stage, just as the other performers contribute outstandingly to the music. One moment we might see, for example, a spectacular act of strength or gymnastics from an amazing acrobat, only to find him the next moment singing a beguiling song in French and accompanying himself on guitar.

But the three main musicians are nothing short of extraordinary in the variety of both the different musical styles and the different musical instruments of which they are complete masters. Whether it’s a sousaphone player who’s suddenly playing banjo or singing wonderfully while supporting an acrobat on his shoulders, a harmonica specialist who’s next moment doing vocal beatbox or playing guitar, or, perhaps most spectacular of all, an exceptionally virtuosic drummer, who never misses a beat despite a stick flying from his hand, and who’s then dancing or playing bass guitar on stage, it’s an extraordinarily accomplished music act in its own right.

This is without a doubt a superb start to the 2019 World Buskers Festival in Christchurch and, as we leave the venue, despite the rain, there’s a long queue waiting under their umbrellas to go in for Freaks on Friday. We’re in for a month of high quality entertainment if opening night is anything to go by.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer