Limbo
Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows (Venue 360)
Verdict: four stars
Physical theatre at The Fringe just got that little bit sexier. Jumping, spinning and writhing in and around the Underbelly’s Circus Hub with rippling muscles and biceps in abundance, Limbo is the world’s sauciest thrill ride. The cabaret circus spectacular is downright jaw-dropping. Seventy minutes of tricks and illusions that must be seen to be believed.
The production isn’t just a collection of stunts insane enough to leave Evel Knievel wetting his pants, however. It’s also an extremely well put together piece of physical theatre with a just about feasible narrative unwinding alongside all the thrills, making it that much sweeter to watch.
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It begins with a black trousered, topless Satan being expelled from heaven by a God figure garbed in a white blazer and Dr Martens of the same shade (holy hipster?). Upon his fall Satan immediately launches into an excruciating looking contortionist routine which underlines the drama of the moment and sets the tone for the rest of the show.
This is what makes Limbo such a breath taking production, each skit and each stunt help vary the mood of the performance. The more light hearted moments are punctuated by tapdancing and other more elegant routines; when the drama ratchets up and the stakes are raised, the show becomes death-defying. Cue the sword swallowing and fire eating. This is not one for the faint hearted or the squeamish; Limbo triggers a stomach-churning kind of nervousness in your average viewer, and you get a sense that’s the whole point.
If the show had one weakness, it was the far from seamless transitions in between routines, pauses that fragmented the flow of the production and kept the audience waiting for the next moment of awe-inspiring amazement. An international hit and one can see why; Limbo is guaranteed to leave you squirming in amazement.
Reviewed by Shingi Mararike for the News Academy