REVIEW: The Chinese State Circus

The Chinese State Circus at the Hackney Empire, February 25, by Kate Day.

THE extreme enthusiasm of the voiceover introducing the Chinese State Circus is worrying. This performance has delighted emperors for over two thousand years, he gushes. You’d better enjoy it.
This celebration of the Chinese New Year is an impressive display of human miracles. The childlike figure of the yellow and red Monkey King appears on the sparsely decorated stage at Hackney Empire, and introduces acts of astonishing athleticism, balance and timing. The whirlwind spectacle pauses momentarily as a tiny, glowing figure twists itself into a human chandelier. She is lit only by the many candles she is balancing all over her body.
There is, perhaps, a little too much from the Shaolin Warriors for me – after all, one brick-smashing-over-the-head incident is much like the next. But judging by the number of kung fu tumbles attempted in the interval by every audience member under the age of ten, I had entirely missed the point.
The real strength of this show is its diversity. From the elegance of the dancing dragons to the clumsy absurdity of the ‘Happy Cooks’, this traditional circus has the rare capacity to enchant the whole family. No wonder the emperors were fans.