Review: Afronauts, Fringe 2026

I have seen many circuses but none with a story like this one! I think this is the first circus I have seen that also included a history lesson, and it was delivered in a wonderfully entertaining way.

I adored Afronauts!

A Tale of Determination

The setting: 1964, at the height of the space race between America and the USSR. Zambia, with their recent independence from British colonisation, declares they will be the first to the moon. Their aspiring crew consists of a young girl, a missionary and two cats.

This is based on a true story, but don’t worry if you’re not familiar with Zambian history. They lay the foundations with sequences from the perspective of two people looking back at the history. One explains and the other learns along with the audience.

There is a good variety of entertainment in Afronauts and everything is done very well.

The performers use impressive gymnastic and athletic feats to help paint a picture and tell the story. They even have acrobatic cats! Which I adored!

There is also a lot of comedy that gave me and others nearby in the audience a lot of hearty laughs. How hard Afronauts made me laugh is one of the reasons it stands out to me as something special. There is plentiful physical comedy, not just jokes, but those are in good supply too.

An Abundance of Heart

It is difficult to describe how much heart and passion there is in this show, it’s something that I resonated strongly throughout the whole show. It is something that is felt rather than clearly quantified.

The show flows wonderfully and part of that are the quieter moments. The lighting and music in the quieter sequences stand out as particularly good atmosphere setting.

I really liked the use of black and white footage projected onto a screen as backdrop to emphasise the time period they were depicting. This projector also cast visuals of space and beautifully illuminated aerial artists while also casting artistic shadows of their graceful movements.

The aerial acts really shone as they were used for conveying weightlessness and anti-gravity training, a fantastic circus medium to embody that aspect of this story.

To the Moon and Back!

This show is wonderfully entertaining, impressive in many forms and the passion shines through. It is a story of tenacity, hope, self determination and belief and comradery. I laughed, gasped and was so awe struck that I didn’t want the show to end.

I would highly recommend Afronauts for all ages.

This show will stay with me in a special way. It’s five stars for me!