Circus of the Night is a perennial favourite that’s become something of a tradition in the Wellington circus scene. I’ll admit this is my first time attending, and I can’t believe I’d missed it for so long – the show’s excellent reputation is well-deserved. What producer Athena Rose (Nicole Maisey) and her rotating cast of performers manage to create is tantamount to a circus miracle: an exuberant show that features a wide range of skills, complete with juggling and aerial acts, in a cozy venue with – get this – a low ceiling.

What the Fringe Bar lacks in height, it more than makes up for in an intimate, inviting venue with a surprisingly spacious stage and seating area. And Circus of the Night certainly maximises the space. I arrive early and take a seat near the front, and by the time the show starts, it’s standing room only. There’s a diverse range of people in the crowd, from young adults to silver-haired patrons, and they all look positively stoked to be here.

The show kicks off with a high-energy emcee, Paul Klaass, who sets the tone perfectly: we’re clearly in for a night of hijinks and wonder. The audience isn’t quite warmed up yet, but Klaass is clearly an experienced street performer, and nobody works a crowd quite like a street performer – he’s got the room in a great mood by the time the first act steps onto the stage.

The first act is burlesque, courtesy of the glamorous Ginger Velour (Karli Holdren). It’s a risky move, starting a show with a burlesque act (what if the audience isn’t quite ready?), and the crowd misses a few of her early applause signals, but Velour is clearly a professional. Her flapper-girl act easily wins the audience over. Her costume is fantastic – imagine a hydrangea, but sexy?? – and her onstage persona hits a well-honed balance of naughty and nice. She exits the stage wearing more clothes than I had expected, but in true burlesque form, this is merely a teaser for what’s to come later.

The next performance is a feat of acrobatics: a chair balancing act by the remarkably talented Katelyn Reed. Reed uses the chairs as props for handbalancing and contortion, sometimes teetering on several chairs at once. This is where we get our first glimpse at the constraints of this low-height venue – at times, Reed’s toes delicately meet the ceiling. But Reed artfully manages this challenge, using the fullness of the space and never seeming limited by it.

Athena Rose herself comes out next, presenting a rarely-seen circus discipline: hair hang. It’s exactly what it sounds like. She hangs from her hair. And sure, you can imagine what this might entail, but nothing can really prepare you to witness it performed right in front of you: this act rightfully elicits the first “oohs” and “ahhs” of the night. It’s goosebump-inducing. I’m sure this act must be painful, but you’d never guess it from Rose’s composure; the obvious strain on her neck and back is completely overridden by the zen-like calm that she projects. It’s an ethereal experience. The audience is astonished. (Later, as I walk out of the venue and into the cool night air, this is the act that I overhear delighted murmurs about.)

The lingering tension from Rose’s act is relaxed by a delightful standup routine, courtesy of comedian Indie Vine. Vine delivers a sharp-yet-loving set about her own mother, who’s portrayed as equal parts brave, funny, well-meaning, and sweetly baffled about all things queer. Vine’s storytelling is well-crafted, and delivered with a raw, disarming earnestness that she deftly contrasts with precision-strike punchlines.

Next, our emcee Paul Klaass returns to centre stage to perform his own act. I can’t bear to describe anything that happens, for fear of spoiling the surprise for you. You’ll have to trust me when I say that Klaass knows his way around a crowd. It’s not common to see a street performance transferred directly onto a stage, but hoo boy, he makes it work. We’re howling with laughter by the time he takes a bow.

Katelyn Reed returns to the stage, this time with an inventive corde lisse (aerial rope) act. Once again undeterred by the low ceiling height, Reed starts by treating the rope as an unexpected juggling prop, evoking traditional whip acts and magic rope tricks, but on a larger scale. With a sudden change in music and lighting, Reed ascends the rope and delivers an aerial act the likes of which you’d typically see with twice the height or more – but Reed has prepared for this, and the act is revelatory in its clever management of the height constraint. Reed’s chair act was impressive, but on the rope, she’s clearly in her element: her attitude and determination have a magnetic effect on the audience, and she has us watching her every move with disbelief and awe.

Ginger Velour returns for her second act, and this one makes good on the promise of her earlier teaser. As with Klaass’ act, I won’t spoil it – but it’s once again a delight to see Velour’s half-nice / half-naughty persona on the stage. Her comedic costume routines and excellently-delivered contraband gags are the perfect complement to her burlesque skills, and we’re all whooping and cheering by the time she prances off the stage.

The final performer is the superb Lisa Komatsubara, surely one of the finest jugglers we have in Aotearoa. She presents a highly polished, dropless act with tight choreography and musicality. Juggling is yet another discipline that typically benefits from a high ceiling – low ceilings require jugglers to throw lower and catch faster, skills which are punishing for lesser performers. Komatsubara is up for the challenge, and she nails it. The result is a thrilling display of technical excellence and unabashed artistic swagger. Circus of the Night delivers what some of the best circus is all about: giving artists a place to perform rare or never-before-seen acts, and inviting audiences to come along for the ride. I’ll certainly be returning to see more of the extraordinary talent that Athena Rose attracts to this lovely stage. Long may this Wellington tradition continue.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer