Eclipse @ The Lowry - Review
April 12, 2007
Eclipse- The Circus Musical at The Lowry
Eclipse has been doing well in Blackpool for some time now. It has a mixture of circus acts, music and dance. These ingredients have meant that people have kept coming back to the Pleasure Beach time and time again. You can see why, as there is plenty to keep a family entertained, including; acrobatics, clowns, trapeze artistes and Euro pop. The music is slightly grating but it does provide a soundtrack for the circus performers and the small audience on the afternoon I attended - warmed to every aspect of the show.
The variety of the acts performing keeps you interested and alert. Kelly Willars dangles above the stage, whilst other performers spin on a giant ball, somersault and balance precariously- winning your affections with their superb athlectism. For younger members of the audience- two juggling clowns- keep you smiling with their grinning faces and funny dance moves.
In every circus, there is a ringmaster and here it is Sam Scott Campbell. This serious performer mimes his way through the Eclipse soundtrack - leading the ensemble through the various dance routines. You might feel this is not needed but it does allow other performers to get ready and Cirque Du Soleil follows a similar format also and no-one complains.
I took five year old, Sol White along with me. He sat transfixed throughout much of the show. He loved Alexanfre Petchkarv and Viatcheslav Frolov’s mischevious turns as the clowns. He did not mind the music at all and when asked what he thought of the whole show, he said he loved it. All around me, children and their families were smiling in unison throughout the entire piece. The dancers impressed me as I felt they added a bit of colour and theatricality to the show.
Sure, the tone of Eclipse is a bit muddled. Like many old circus acts involving trapeze acts and the like, it does veer into campery. Also the music does seem overly serious - considering some of the trite lyrics. But for sheer spectacle, wonderment, and circus skills, you cannot beat it.
****
Eclipse is on at the Lowry until Saturday April 14. To book, click here
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