Barbu (London Wonderground)

In recent years, visitors to the London Wonderground, nestled alongside the purple cow on the South Bank, have been treated to some of the best contemporary circus on offer. From the thrilling Limbo to the Olivier Award-winning La Soirée, the annual Spiegeltent has rightly made a name for itself as one of London's top cabaret venues.

Unfortunately this year's offering, Barbu by Quebec's Cirque Alfonse, with its bearded hipsters, haphazard keg tossing and random old man with no particular talent, too often feels like a bunch of mates on the lash in Shoreditch on a Saturday night.

Made up of four bearded blokes, two athletic bendy ladies and the aforementioned elder, Cirque Alfonse seem to specialise in taking the mundane and making it, well, a little less mundane. Hats are thrown, as are hankies, golf clubs are balanced and a hamster is brought on to the stage and taken off again. It's all rather trite and underwhelming.

The show improves in the latter stages as the performers get their kit off and display impressive strength bouncing off seesaws and swinging round poles. There's an element of humour, but if you've not already downed a bottle of wine that might pass you by.

Barbu literally translates to 'bearded' and it's their skill for growing facial hair that might just be the most impressive display of talent in this lacklustre show.

Barbu runs at the London Wonderground until 25 September 2016.