Shropshire Star

Review: The Circus of Horrors, Ludlow Festival

[gallery] Former Britain's Got Talent semi-finalists, the Circus of Horrors, gave a performance that was not for the faint-hearted when they appeared at Ludlow Festival, writes  Sophie Madden.

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The Circus of Horrors at Ludlow Arts Festival

To be honest, I had to watch most of yesterday's show from between my fingers. It's definitely not one for the children.

Described as an extreme variety show, the circus – BGT semi-finalists in 2011 – specialises in gross-out tricks along with more traditional performances.

The Circus of Horrors started with a scream, when the lights dimmed and performers in masks appeared from behind the audience, crawling through the crowds to make their way to the stage.

Then each performer began debuting their unique talents – some that will stay with me for a long time, probably for the wrong reasons. There were some genuinely impressive acts, particularly the aerial displays by two of the female trapeze artists, one who hung from the rafters by her hair, the other by her teeth.

The three-man balancing act also looked brilliant.

More unusual "talents" included performers pushing pins through their skin, eating glass and lifting a wooden block with their nose. Others are too rude to mention.

The main issues with the show, though, were that it didn't run smoothly, with musical cues coming in too early, too late or not at all, which gave it an amateurish feel.

Meanwhile, just a handful of tickets are left for controversial comedian Reginald D Hunter's set at the festival tonight, organisers have said.

The American has sold nearly 750 tickets for his eagerly-awaited performance in the Big Top Theatre at Ludlow Castle, which starts at 7.45pm.

Meanwhile, as part of the town's parallel-running Fringe Festival, Margaret Thatcher's only official biographer Charles Moore was due to give a talk today on his experiences of the former Prime Minister at Ludlow Assembly Rooms.

This afternoon comedienne Jo Brand, whose mother Joyce lives in Ludlow and who admitted recently her favourite paper was the Shropshire Star, was set to give a talk on writing novels at the town's library.

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