A little of everything
Craig BeardsworthReviewed by Craig Beardsworth
CIRCUS, cabaret, burlesque, mime, comedy and some opera. Soap seems to have a little of everything. Set to an eclectic soundtrack this beguiling mix of perfectly executed hand-balancing and aerial skills, juggling, ball bouncing and acrobatics had the opening night audience applauding throughout. This was all pulled off with precision, beauty, sassiness and where appropriate – humour. Soap has a resident clown – and she was wonderful - but sadly nameless due to no cast specifics in the programme. How often do you see the goof ball played by a woman? Her timing was wonderful and she (along with a diva singing opera tunes to the words of Bobby Darin’s Splish Splash I was taking a bath) successfully acted as a bridge between acts and a foil to the more serious stuff.
So despite all the frivolity why did I leave feeling slightly underwhelmed? The bathroom theme was a tad flimsy but hey, this is circus entertainment – we don’t need an intricate plot. The performers where exceptional, the music, set and lighting did its job admirably. It just didn’t feel substantial. We moved from one brilliantly executed act to the next but there was no overarching build of tension towards a finale. Perhaps this is because each cast member specialised in something different (the juggler, the aerialist etc) and so couldn’t all join together in a rousing set piece? The performers were stunning – I just wonder if the directors (pictured in the programme smoking – only in Europe!) could have worked the theme over some more.









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