Acrobatics

 

You won’t know whether to laugh or cry during Chaoyang Theatre’s Flying Acrobatic Show – surely the cheesiest in town. Expect pumping music, strobe lighting, and a horde of energised performers, more like a small army than an acrobatic troupe.

The stunts are awesome. And often terrifying. One performer wears a black leather S&M outfit while doing somersaults backwards on a giant moving hamster wheel 30 feet above the ground and without a harness. We are unsure what is scarier: the dubious safety measures or his tiny thong. Regardless, we are impressed. If muscular bondage-bound men aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other attractions to get excited about, from 11 pretty girls on one bicycle (try that in the hutongs!) to gravity defying human statues.

 

Yes, the tricks are genuinely electrifying; but Chaoyang has a thing or two to learn about staging. A man walking around the (clearly visible)backstage area in a hoody while scratching his bum does tend to turn off the magic. Still, this is made up for by the liberally splashed glow-in-the-dark paint and chirping bird puppets – presumably meant to distract the audience during set changes. China doesn’t get any more kitsch.

 

Beijing Chaoyang Theatre

 

Magic Music Box

 

Dong Youmin, the director of the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe, cites Cirque du Soleil as his main inspiration for Magic Music Box. It shows. The performance eschews the gaudy glamour of other performances. Instead, Magic Music Box has an endearing charm. The performers – many of whom are children as young as ten – act out a magical storyline of a girl who dreams of becoming an acrobat. The costumes are classy, the music theatrical and the addition of a live drummer adds to the drama. Sadly, the show literally falls down on frequent slip-ups – hats, diabolos and people often end up on the floor, rather than where they should be.

Still, the show should be commended for its attempt to go for enchantment over quick tricks – expect some average (but sweet) ballet, an impressive Michael Jackson-esque dance by a quartet of kids, and that classic of acrobatic theatre, the girl winding herself up in the red sash suspended from the ceiling.

 

Tianqiao Acrobatic Theater

 

 

 

If it’s a blood-spewing royal rumble from Jackie Chan-alikes that you’re after, you’ll be disappointed. But, pleasing those with a penchant for Broadway, The Legend of Kung Fu turns acrobatics into theatre by combining a display of flexibility and brawn with intricate choreography, original scores and smoke machines. The act revolves around the tale of Chun Yi and his coming of age under the guidance of an old monastery master. Chun Yi learns gong fu, struggles with youthful distractions and remorse, and eventually gains enlightenment to take over as the temple’s abbot.

 

Try to ignore the hilarious English voiceover dubbed in an inauthentic American accent. The choreography itself is impressive, with gong fu capers including somersaults, aerial silk dances and wushu skirmishes keeping the crowds cheering. There is also creativity within the martial arts repertoire here; performers mimic animals in a fight scene that boasts remarkable accuracy. But perhaps the most crowd-pleasing moments come when the cast test their mettle against spears, swords and metal bars – bending, blunting and breaking them into tiny pieces. It’s truly amazing stuff – just so long as you can stomach the cheesy storyline.

 

 

 

This slick show boasts a few surprises – not least relatively high production values. Touches such as lowering a see-through cloth over the front of the stage and projecting a gaping gorge onto it while the high-wire act wobbles, look great and draw you away from the fact that she’s only about five feet from terra firma.

 

A clown kicks off proceedings, acting as a bewildered spectator to the feats on stage – and humiliating the odd audience member along the way. naturally, any linking story is tenuous at best, as the aforementioned funnyman flings himself after a shaky looking treasure chest in between pyramids of cyclists, impressive diabolo flingers and a butter-fingers juggler. The menacing skeletons are the highlight, as they fling nun-chuck-style implements with ease. The second half is weaker, but kids won’t care – they’ll be too busy trying to prise balloon animals from the clown.

 

Tiandi Theatre

From 180RMB. 7.15pm daily.

 

 

It’s never entirely clear what Jinsha is. Nor is its ‘legend’ ever really explained. But what this show lacks in narrative it more than makes up for in nonstop variety show-inspired fun. This is like watching an episode of China’s Got Talent, but one in which every contestant is circus trained.

 

Each act takes it in turn for a crack at wowing the audience. So, for example, a troupe of chaps swapping hats (more fun than it sounds) is followed by a lone juggler atop a hydraulic platform, which thrusts upwards from beneath the stage. he’s scantily clad – inexplicably so – and goes from casually playing with his two balls to triumphantly massaging an impressive seven. Other slots include a group of girls bending themselves into positions that’ll make you wince and an unbelievably athletic team of acrobats who throw their bodies through small hoops in what can only be described as ‘showing off’.

 

The finale, however, really raises the bar thanks to plucky performers on motorbikes zooming around the inside of what we’ll call ‘The Metal Sphere Of Death’. We won’t ruin the surprise of how many get in there, but each addition brings an extra gasp of astonishment from the audience.

 

Beijing Workers’ Club