Giffords Circus at Chiswick house

This is my second visit to Giffords circus at Chiswick house, not being from this side of town the first time we went we managed to get hopelessly lost, so this time we set off early and only got a little bit lost! (Although I have to say there are worse places to loose your barings in than the grounds of Chiswick house – A picturesq 18^th century manor surrounded by beautiful parks and gardens)

Eventually we made it to the circus gates where we were greeted by uniformed usherettes who welcomed us inside. I have to say Giffords is very good at creating a vibe, from the minute you step over the threshhold you are immediately transported into their fairy folky carnival world. The set up is like a mini festival with a live band playing and wandering performers interacting with the crowd (As this years theme was ‘Wind in the Willows” they were all in Edwardian costumes with animal ears and tails!) There is also an array of stalls to browse and even an in-house restaurant called ‘Circus sauce’ (separate booking required) We were offered a couple of complimentary canapes which were absolutely delicious so I would definitely recommend checking it out.

After that we just had time to grab ourselves a very decent bottle of the house white before we were called into the main tent to watch the show. This time around the focus seemed to be purely on the acrobatics, there is a vague narrative (Mole and ratty show up wanting to join the circus and are allowed to because someone else has dropped out.) But the strong comedic story telling element that I remember from our previous visit wasn’t really present, and sorry to say it but I felt the show suffered as a result. Yes the performers are unquestionably talented, and believe me there are plenty of ‘wow!’ moments to be had, but without a framework for it to hang off of, or a charismatic MC to present the acts and work the crowd it did feel like it was going off into the reeds at times. Also, I noticed there did seem to be a little bit of ‘styling out’ going on in a couple of the acts, but then this is very early on in their run and I know from experience that it always takes a few shows for a production to really get into its stride.

Overall we had a fun evening, I don’t think a trip to Giffords could ever disappoint, they’ve created a unique identity  and there are so many talented people involved in this production. But last night’s performance was just good and I know they have the capacity to be great, the show is touring until September – plenty of time to tighten those screws!

Find out more https://giffordscircus.com/