Petra Shepherd thoroughly enjoys this magical experience
OVO, Cirque du Soleil’s exuberant and acrobatic celebration of the insect world recently returned in a brilliantly restaged format to London’s Royal Albert Hall where it is set to run until 1st March 2026. I’m a diehard fan of Cirque du Soleil and saw Ovo in its original form at the Royal Albert Hall in 2018, where the show became Cirque du Soleil’s most successful London run at the time. However, the beauty of Cirque du Soleil is that you can see the shows time and time again and this time I was keen to see the show through fresh eyes, that of my 30-year-old god-daughter, Camilla a Cirque du Soleil virgin.
Created in 2009, OVO (“egg” in Portuguese) has a reimagined set design, new acrobatic acts, original characters, added costumes and reinvented music. Seen by over 7 million people in more than 40 countries, the 53 world-class performers from 25 countries includes two British performers. Robin Beer, who was born in Hammersmith is a rare Cirque du Soleil British clown and plays the character The Voyager. With a background in music, mask work, and devised theatre, Robin brings humour, warmth, and a uniquely British spirit to the show. Whilst Lydia Harper, originally from Warwick and now based in London, returns as Artistic Director. Featuring over 100 cast and crew members, the show brings to life a colourful world of crickets, ants, butterflies, spiders, beetles, and more, set against a striking visual backdrop of giant flowers and a towering 19-meter climbing wall. Liz Vandal, the costume designer has a signature style inspired by futuristic superheroes and by suits of armour from all eras. At its heart is the love story between a quirky fly and a spirited ladybird, unfolding around a mysterious egg that sparks curiosity and transformation. However, it’s not the story that you’ve come to see but the dazzling acrobatics and surreal costumes all accompanied by a high-energy Brazilian inspired soundtrack. To create the musical score for OVO, Berna Ceppas, the composer combined the sounds of bossa nova and samba with funk and electro music. Mighty crickets bounce off trampolines whilst a hypnotic spider contorts inside her web, bending in all directions and redefining the limits of the human body.
Camilla and I were blown away by the extraordinary showmanship and breathtaking acts like Chinese Poles. In a captivating display of agility, the acrobatic fleas jump from one pole to another, or glide in a choreographed and controlled fall, heads facing down with jaw-dropping agility. In “Slackwire” in a tour-de-force performance, a Spider defies gravity and physics in a succession of seemingly impossible feats of strength and balance on a wire attached to a rocking a giant leaf. CREATURA part slinky, part insect, dances to a tune that is all his own he’s a bendy, twisty knot of stretchy limbs in constant motion. It’s hard to pick a favourite but I particularly loved the foot juggling ants.
The hardest working insects in the community are the bright red Ants. As soon as they’re awake they spend their day gathering food: On the menu —kiwis and corn. But it’s not all work. They play with their food, too—with their feet—in an astonishing display of precision juggling that climaxes with ants juggling ants.
There are few shows currently running in London that are as unique or as dazzling as Ovo and capable of captivating audiences both young and old. The fresh take didn’t disappoint this superfan and has now got a new devotee in Camilla. Even the smallest creatures can leave a mighty big impression. Every leap, spin, and wingbeat, celebrated the magic of nature in motion. Funny and chaotic, the playful story and the show’s warmth, wonder, colour and spectacular circus artistry are the perfect tonic to beat the Winter blues.
The Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore
London
SW7 2AP
https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/OVO
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