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By Eric Naki

Political Editor


Cirque Infernal review

This new performance, featuring some truly death-defying acts, will leave audiences in awe.


Like my family and I, you will be entertained by the exhilarating performance of the great performers of Cirque Infernal currently playing at the Joburg Theatre. Take it as a family outing to enjoy it with your children and even grandchildren above the age of five.

This is circus performed on the stage involving several scenes of dangerous and death-defying moments.

I saw a few among the audience closing their eyes, with grannies covering the face of their grandchildren as the funambulist (tightrope walker), performed by German-born Wilson Stey, does several breathtaking acts in the sky. It’s no wonder that Stey mastered the act as his ancestors had been walking the tightrope since the Middle Ages. Cirque Infernal provides nonstop captivating entertainment with astonishing acts.

I was among those who feared the worst as Scottish couple Rachel and Charlie Atlas, who are married on stage and in life, pushed the boundaries with their knife throwing act. This is the scene where some audience covered their eyes.

As an adult, I might have seen tightrope walkers and bayonet performers on a rotating wheel that are in the circus, but the act of three bikers riding inside a globe of steel while speeding at 65km/h is out of imagination.

No doubt, I was not the only one left awed by this action. In this creation from Danny Varanne, the three motorbikes literally run on the still wall. And judging by the comfortable bikers, experienced showman Varanne ensured that the choreography was perfected over time.

Cirque Infernal is on The Mandela Stage at Joburg Theatre. It starred on September 6 and ends on September 23. Performances are on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.

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