★★★★★ by Ifan Llewelyn
The art of acrobatics hasn’t changed all that much over the past few centuries, so how does one keep it fresh and interesting? While many productions go for an extravaganza of costume, lights and special effects, A Simple Space does quite the opposite, serving death-defying acrobatics brought down to basics.
Inside the big blue dome of The Underbelly Festival down on the Southbank is an unassuming stage that can’t be more than a few square meters. The house lights dim, a cast of eight take to the stage and you’re left thinking how they’re going to perform in such a small space, let alone flip and twirl without giving black eyes to the front row. As Alex Flood takes to his musical instruments, our seven acrobats open with a game of “fall” where they run around doing impromptu trust falls hoping someone runs over to break their fall so they don’t break their backs. This is NOT a game you should be playing at home. Suddenly in the madness of falling bodies, others start flying through the air. They climb on each other, reaching new heights before shouting “Fall” and plummeting into someone’s the arms.
What truly makes this production a knock out is its playfulness, which succeeds in bringing potent energy that’s sustained throughout. In between incredible displays of strength and balance, they challenge each other to balloon animal competitions and who can hold their breath the longest. There are moments when you forget you’re watching a troupe of highly skilled performers, and it feels more like an Attenborough documentary on a tribe of highly-skilled monkey infants at play. You sit having to suppress the urge to go up there and join them, but all of the sudden three of them stand on the other three’s shoulders whilst Ashleigh Pearce skips from one shoulder to another and your seat becomes the way more attractive option.
Annalise Moore gives a stand out display on her acro blocks, twisting and contorting her legs like a balletic squid. It’s easy to forget that these performers have the same body as you do, and while you’re struggling to get up those office stairs, these guys are doing handstands on heads 12 feet in the air. Halfway through you’re treated to a musical interlude from Alex Flood where he steps away from his instruments, strips down and starts slapping himself all over. It’s delightfully entertaining and has that bawdy 18th-century tavern feel about it. We can imagine him standing on a barrel performing for shillings.
This is an evening that’ll have you clawing at your face, squirming in your seat, and breathing damn heavy. For 60 short minutes, you can be a child again, dewy-eyed and filled with awe at something you can’t quite comprehend. In a jaded world of harsh realities, A Simple Space is a thrilling escape.
Running at The Underbelly, Southbank SE1 8XX until the 5th of May. For tickets head to UnderbellyFestival.com.
