Underbelly
Three Aussie lifeguards greet the audience at the entrance to The Lafayette at Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows, blowing their whistles and directing us to either the regular or the nudist beach, and checking that we’ve applied our sunscreen.
The Splash Test Dummies spin circus comedy from all things silly and watery, from bubble baths to swim caps and rubber ducks. They open with a Baywatch spoof, clambering through tiered seating to “rescue” members of the audience, before launching into an hour of ideas-packed circus, with plenty of gags and slapstick.
There’s a simplicity to a lot of what this three-person team does, weaving magic with a ping pong ball for example, or entrancing the kids with a wobbly hand contagion that passes from cast to audience members (hard to explain). There are also plenty of moments of spectacle as they mix juggling and acrobatics with inventive storytelling. Quick switches of scenes and tempo – together with the occasional blast from a water pistol – keep us on our toes and there’s a strong dose of the absurd too: juggling clubs metamorphose into a goofy owl-faced skeleton which walks across the stage, before being dismantled into a set of bagpipes and then turning into a gondola…
Splash Test Dummies Circus delivers the pre-lunch PG version of a high-energy night out at the Fringe. It’s one for all the family: my two-year-old was fascinated, I laughed a lot and the primary aged kids were loving it.
Just one thing to note: I questioned how well some of the visual elements would work from the sides and I notice Underbelly is charging an additional £6 for tickets that guarantee a seat in the central section, where we and the vast majority were sat. So, one to get in line early for (or pay the extra).
(Written by Becky Brewis)
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