Review: Duck Pond by Circa @ Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Birdy decided to have a memorable if unorthodox Halloween by indulging in this rather incredible reimagining of one of the most powerful ballets around – imagine Swan Lake, but an imaginative, playful retelling with circus at its heart!

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Duck Pond when I agreed to go along, but I knew it was going to be fabulous, because it was Circa (and I’d seen the publicity photos). I was not disappointed!

But first, let’s get one thing straight; ballet, Duck Pond is not. Instead, what I got was an incredibly clever, high-energy playful mash-up of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky‘s Swan Lake with Hans Christian Andersen‘s The Ugly Duckling – but told with powerful acrobatic circus, poignancy and comedy! And it was truly marvellous.

The show itself

Told in three acts, we were introduced to the hapless prince, and the outsider presumed ‘ugly duckling’, as the ensemble cast engage in high-energy, circus-infused merriment, with human towers, and dynamic physical routines. A very silly pillow fight abruptly stops the fun, and a love triangle ensues.

Comedy janitor ducklings lighten the mood again, along with some astounding leaps and balancing acts – and that’s before we even get to the stunning aerial work, trapeze and human towers that came into play. Utterly wondrous, and beautiful to behold.

The second act is the realisation of the ‘ugly duckling’s’ true self, and this is the first main highlight of the show, as she is at home with the beautiful, graceful swans before she herself transforms into the swan she was always meant to be.

This eventually takes us to the surprising twist on the classic tale, with the white and black female swans choosing each other – which is why I’ve been cheekily referring to this as Lesbian Duck Circus ever since. It’s so well balanced between tongue in cheek and being completely enchanting; the performers captivating the audience with each leap, twirl and lift.

The third act breaks the fourth wall, there’s some serious broom action, flippers and the cast generally getting undressed. The performer wrapped in the red tape was particularly funny, and after watching a (for the most part) quite serious show, this felt like a good-humoured tonal shift that was welcome.

The production notes describe Act Three as capturing “a glimpse of what swans are like in nature”, and to demonstrate this, two of the cast brought out a TV screen playing footage of a brutal, realistic swan fight. This is also enacted by some of the other cast with some chaos until they motion to cut it. There’s definitely more than a hint of Circa’s roots with the Australian comedy here.

One thing I’d like to particularly applaud is the simplicity of the set, and the way it was used to maximum effect. The rippling as the initial curtain dropped. The rippling of the blue fabric to create the water effect. The lighting to bring us into the mood. And, of course, the costumes! It all comes together to create a powerful, and highly enjoyable performance.

Overall

This really feels like really quite a special show about identity and self-acceptance – and it’s not one I’ll forget in a hurry. This was 95 minutes of pure bliss, and I’d highly recommend Duck Pond by Circa to anyone who loves circus and/or the original shows it was inspired by.

A few well-timed quacks and a good spattering of humour made it such a fun show, but also technically bloody brilliant. Not a flipper or a feather out of place. Of course, there was a standing ovation. Congratulations to Circa on this flawless offering!