Cirque Africa at the Adelaide Fringe | Review
100% African 100% Energy 100% Fun
Review by Susannah Marks
If you’ve driven past Hindmarsh Square lately you may have noticed the Cirque Africa Big Top and been curious about the show. We had the absolute pleasure of seeing Cirque Africa and I’ll put it out there: this is one of the most spectacular shows I’ve seen at the Fringe to date.
If you love high-energy world-class circus then don’t miss the the chance to see this.
What is Cirque Africa?
Cirque Africa is drawing big crowds due to its thrilling mix of acrobatics, dance, music and comedy. There are no animals in the show – all the circus acts are performed by the team of 38 artists from 6 African countries.
Cirque Africa is a 90-minute high-octane production that will transport you to Mother Africa with high-energy, joyful performances; colour; vibrant costumes and a live backing band.
You could feel the excitement and anticipation in the air just walking towards the Cirque Africa Big Top. Once inside we were absolutely blown away by the incredible strength, agility and finesse of the acrobats and how seemingly effortless they made the most challenging circus acts look.
Cirque Africa had moments of suspense and exhilaration, and a wonderful energy. We had a few sweaty palmed moments as the acrobats formed human pyramids and towers, and scaled teetering stacks of chairs. But mostly we just revelled in the sheer physicality of these incredible athletes (mental note to self: stick with that gym routine).
Audience participation
There were also moments of hilarity as the ringmaster/clown engaged with the audience and selected unsuspecting members of the crowd to form part of his band.
Four unfortunate lucky people were picked from the audience to join him on stage and were given the role of vocalist, air guitarist, air pianist and air drummer for a fabulous performance.
We’d thoroughly recommend Cirque Africa for a girls’ night or a date night trip to the Fringe – or take the kids, as the whole family will love this show.
Tips for enjoying Cirque Africa
- If you’re not keen on audience participation it may be best not to sit in the front row
- Come with some spending money – you may be tempted by souvenirs/merchandise
- Be prepared to dance in your seat
Tickets to Cirque Africa
Tickets start at $26 and there are family ticket prices.
Cirque Africa is on at the Cirque Africa Big Top in Hindmarsh Square until 19 March 2017.
See our posts about all things Fringe.
What: Cirque Africa
When: until 19 March 2017
Where: Cirque Africa Big Top | Hindmarsh Square
Who: everyone
Play & Go Adelaide have media access to the Adelaide Fringe 2017. All reviews are our own opinion from personal experience, unpaid and not influenced by the artist/s and/or promoter/s in any way.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
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