Review: CIRQUE: THE GREATEST SHOW at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley


Date: 5th January 2024

Seat: J16 (Stalls)

Tickets: Gifted

Rating: 3 Stars 

If you’re a fan of impressive circus acts and you’re a bit of a fan of musical theatre, Cirque: The Greatest Show is definitely going to be up your street. It’s a combination of the two things and it all blends together to create an evening of fun and thrills with some excellent musical song and dance numbers thrown in. What more could you ask for? 

The songs come from various shows, and as the name suggests, there’s a fairly big emphasis on tunes from The Greatest Showman (Cirque begins and ends with songs from that musical). Other musicals showcased included Moulin Rouge, Rocketman, We Will Rock You, and more. 

The songs perform the backdrop to some excellent circus acts, including aerial acrobats, a contortionist, a fire performer, loads of gymnastics, juggling, and a set piece that included more quick changes than I’ve ever seen on stage before to finish off the first act. 

Linking all this together, and perhaps the star of the show, is a mime who has a tale to tell. He begins the Cirque by winning a competition for a TV, and it’s his channel surfing on his new device that gives us the acts and songs we see performed. But he also has some fantastic tricks up his sleeve (sometimes literally), and in between the circus acts and singing (to cover up the fact that various pieces of equipment are being moved about and costume changes are happening, which is a clever idea), he does magic tricks, jokes with the audience, and generally clowns around. Beware if you’re sitting in the front row; you might end up on stage with him! 

The mime’s life is one of black and white, a dreary kind of existence, but little by little, as he watches the world unfold through his TV, he starts gaining some colour – literally. By the end, he’s dressed in a rainbow suit and is finally part of the show itself. It’s a lovely little story that connects all the dots, and since he was genuinely funny, it added an element of humour to Cirque that would otherwise have been missing. 



If I have any niggles with Cirque: The Greatest Show, it’s that the circus acts, while entertaining, were probably the weakest element – the singing was fabulous (those performers really were enjoying themselves!), and the mime artist’s story, tricks, and jokes raised everything up to the next level, but to really make this show shine, the circus acts could have been bigger and more jaw-dropping (although each venue is going to allow for different things to take place, so they will always be a little restricted). And the musical choices were good, but not entirely my cup of tea. Yes to The Greatest Showman, yes to Moulin Rouge, but what about some Phantom? Some Les Mis? Some of the real classics that everyone knows would have really added a cherry on the cake. 

All in all, Cirque: The Greatest Show is a great piece of entertainment, and with a few tweaks, it could be really exceptional – it’s a unique premise, and there’s no doubt there’s a lot of talent on that stage. 

Find tickets to your local performance here: https://cirqueshow.co.uk/

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