REVIEW: ACROBATIC SWAN LAKE (Lowry, Salford)

Think Tchaikovsky... but on a trampoline

YOU might not think “Swan Lake” normally comes with trampolinists, wire walkers, jugglers and other exemplars of the circus arts, and you would be right.

But there is nothing very normal about this version of “Swan Lake”, from the extraordinary Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China.

It could be accused of lulling you into a false sense of travesty, since in the first 15 minutes of opening night we enjoyed loud offstage comments, black-outs and a scene that stopped completely.

But this was understandable in what is a huge undertaking — so big, that some of the show did not make it on to stage at all, including a vast garden backdrop, and huge statues.

But, unusually, all is forgiven because these are minor technical hitches set against the staggering acrobatic feats on show.

The “Swan Lake” storyline is, like the theme of the Trafford Centre’s “Afrika Afrika”, a colourful peg on which to hang a remarkable range of circus acts.

As pegs goes it serves well, the recorded chunks of Tchaikovsky adding impetus to the pace and the performances.

The result is a staggering mix of colour, spectacle, skill, movement and, in some ways, self-mockery. This is the maddest version of “Swan Lake” ever, but no one knows this more than the originators.

Nonetheless, as entertainment, it is remarkable.

Despite the attractions of amazing pole climbers, the serenely gliding (thanks to roller skates) corps de ballet, the bungee-flying black eagle, and even the famous cygnet dance turned into a frog dance (and on their hands), foremost among the performances are those of husband and wife team Wei Baohua and Wu Zhengdan as Prince and Swan-princess respectively.

Their ballet-balance act is extraordinary, she on pointe — on one leg — first on his shoulder and later on top of his head; later topping even this by doing the same balance in a vertical split, the spare leg pulled high behind her head.

It makes you wince and marvel at the same time — and not for the only time during this extraordinary evening.