There are endless storytelling possibilities in physical and musical theatre - something that has never been so starkly presented as by Extraordinary Bodies. The non-traditional circus company celebrates storytelling through all art forms, rounding off a decade of expertise through a spectacular new production co-produced with Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror honours the talent of d/deaf, disabled, and non-disabled artists through an amalgamation of theatre, musical and circus performance. The story follows a travelling circus troupe in 1933 in Nazi Germany, an original story from Hattie Naylor and co-written by Jamie Beddard that is so rarely told about that particular epoch.
Co-directed by Claire Hodgson and Billy Alwen, the story is informed by historical research and the experiences of real Jewish circus artists who were often forced to perform at Nazi rallies. In the first act, you feel safe and secure alongside the outcasts, aerialists and acrobats confined in the Big Top tent, an incredible detachable set designed by Ti Green. Before the interval, the threat of the Nazi Party is shown mostly through Joseph Benowitz (Jack Reitman), a Jewish man who begs Waldo, the cruel circus manager, to hide him in his troupe.
