Although the extremely talented artistes from The Chinese State Circus do their very best to enthral and amaze us as they erupt onto the Brighton Centre stage accompanied by furious drumming, the Monkey King, and a Chinese Dragon lolling its huge head from side to side, the intricate detail of their performance is masked due to some seriously poor lighting.
Maybe having a matinee show on the day of the “get-in” is a little ambitious, because there seems to have been very little in the way of time before the start of the performance to ensure that all is set fair and that the audience can actually see all of the acts as they perform.
The afternoon performance offers a two-hour cavalcade of amazing acrobatics and dazzling gymnastics, with the fast-moving acts using everyday items like parasols, chairs, drums, and hats as their props. The items fly from hand to foot to head and right across the vast stage, but, sadly, all in semi-darkness.
The tumblers nose-dive through rings and the gymnasts amaze with their suppleness, dexterity and strength. Two of the circus artistes even perform a short, and extremely graceful, ballet, with, at one moment, her standing on points on his shoulders, and achieving contorted poses as he walks around the stage.
The Shaolin Warriors, who appear as special guests in the show, amaze with a delightful and elegant performance of precision swordsmanship and feats of incredible skill. The Monkey King provides the continuity in the show and skillfully links the acts whilst also adding in some audience participation to ramp up the comedic elements of the production.
Overall we are treated to an entertaining performance but, with just an hour or two more to set the stage properly, the production could have delivered all that it had promised, and more.
*** Three Stars