Brighton Fringe: Revel Puck launch night review

Roll up, roll up – come join the circus!

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the exclusive launch night at Circus Yard, part of this year’s Brighton Fringe Festival. Hosted by the brilliant Revel Puck Circus, this special evening offered a tantalising taster of some of their live performances and performers, for press and guests, ahead of the official opening tonight.

It was buzzing. A beautifully warm evening – more like late June than early May – and there was a brilliant vibe on site, if a bit chaotic. To be expected; this is Brighton, after all, and every opening night has its teething troubles. There was only one bar serving a LOT of people. And just one food station, also serving a LOT of people. At one point I noticed there was a single person manning the food station, and she looked completely under the cosh. Who was doing the plans when the bar and food stations were organised?!

That said, after a bit of a queue, I was very happy with my tub of nachos. Although I did ask for the vegan bean topping and was given sour cream without being asked. Maybe it was vegan sour cream. I hope so!

Read more: should you eat breakfast?

The show started late because of all the queuing, and all the nobody being ready to sit down – which was a shame, as it meant I had to leave before the end. Being the opening night of Brighton Festival month, there were loads of events happening and I was going to at least three of them.

The good bits – and there were many

There’s just something special about a big top, isn’t there? There’s that instant thrill you get walking into a tent full of promise. It sets the scene beautifully. The acoustics aren’t brilliant, though, for a deaf old bird like me with tinnitus. The Ringmistress was hard to hear at times, and I found myself missing a traditional whipcracking “LAYDEEEEES AND GENTLEMENNNNN!” type of caller – slower, louder, clearer. I have to say that her red sequinned suit was an absolute showstopper though. Coveting that.

The performances I did manage to see were genuinely great entertainment. A particular highlight was the fabulous rollerskating performer from The Rola Circus (by Luminous Productions), who whizzed about with neon hula hoops. High energy, huge fun.

Then there were two performers who got into giant balloons and danced about inside them, which sounds totally bizarre but was weirdly hilarious. I’ve no idea who they were, but they were great fun. My friend was helpless with laughter next to me.

One of the more unusual and memorable acts came from In This Together – an acrobatic, audience-participatory performance that involved flashlights and a surprising amount of emotional warmth. I won’t say too much and spoil it, but it was fascinating to watch how people’s mischievous sides emerged as their confidence grew. In the end, it genuinely felt like the audience became part of the show. Clever, and playful.

All in all, despite the teething problems and a slightly overstretched bar and catering crew, there’s a huge amount of energy, talent, and joy in what Revel Puck Circus are doing. If you can get along to any of their shows this Fringe, you absolutely should. I believe it’s really important to keep the spirit of circus and vaudeville alive – and these performers are doing it with real style.

Find out more and book tickets: Revel Puck Circus