Nights At The Circus @ The Space

The circus is a world of illusion, where things are not as they seem. Angela Carter's bawdy novel on which this play is based, directed by Steven Green, explores what happens when the crowds go home and night closes in, focusing in particular on Sophie Fevvers, a Cockney showgirl who is a self-confessed 'freak of nature,' and the relationship between her and American Jack Walser (Scott McGarrick), a journalist investigating Fevvers' attributes - not her curves, but the enormous wings on her back. How much is genuine, how much romanticised?

There are some magical moments to cherish in this Fourth Monkey production- however, it often buckles under the weight of its own ambition. Peripheral characters are thrown into the plot five minutes before the end, making for confusion and under-written roles. At one hour twenty minutes, it is as though too much has been crammed in, where a more leisurely pace would have been more effective.

In saying that, Shala Isis, luminous despite not being curvaceous enough and seemingly styled by Ann Summers, makes a wonderful Fevvers, her knowing wink betraying real vulnerability. There is superb support from Ema Staicut as her friend/assistant Lizzie, and Reuben Beau-Davis' Buffo the seedy clown is a joy to behold. Indeed, the clowns make a great mischievous band of dissolute minstrels, playing acoustic guitars and squeezebox.

There is no skimping on the more unpleasant elements in the novel either - they are deftly handled. Mignon's abuse, the sexual humiliation of Jack and the financial double-dealings are unmasked subtly. The most visceral moment comes when Fevvers recounts her upbringing in the brothel, and a gorgeous shivery animated film (by Chloe Rodham) is projected onto the makeshift screen. It is truly poignant, and leaves one imagining what Fourth Monkey could achieve with a bigger budget. [Missy Lorelei]