WATERFIELD
Chiswick House and Gardens
★★★★★
“Giffords Circus is many steps ahead of what you expect to see under a big top”
Having celebrated their 25th anniversary last summer, Giffords Circus have far from rested on their laurels. Instead, they launched into their first Christmas show in the Gloucestershire valleys before embarking this year on their most ambitious tour to date. Titled ‘Waterfield’, it uses the laurels on which it could be resting to form the basis of its current theme. Inspired by the beauty of the English countryside and the animal characters that have wandered out of this habitat into the world of literature, the ethereal magic that the circus is known for reaches new heights of fantasy and finesse. But this is no comfortable stroll through the hedgerows. You won’t be gazing at the acts through the privet leaves; you’ll be watching through your fingers a lot of the time. And as you leave, be sure to check under your seat. The stage crew are probably a bit tired by now of sweeping up the dropped jaws left behind in the sawdust each night.
Kenneth Grahame’s ‘Wind in the Willows’ casts the weasel as a creature feared by the main characters. Giffords Circus places him centre stage. Raf Shah (aka Weasel) holds court as the master of ceremonies; a touch sinister but oozing dark charisma. All around, the performers creep from the fantastical fauna of Takis’ evergreen set. Mists roll in across the circus ring as Ian Scott’s will-o’-the-wisp lighting guides us into the watery underworld. Shah recites Laurie Lee, Shakespeare and J.R.R. Tolkien, but can only go so far. Music takes over. The appropriately named Jenna Dearness-Dark weaves her beautiful voice around the narrative and underscores the acts, accompanied by the astounding six-piece Giffords Circus Band (The Grasshoppers), scattered among the reeds.
Giffords’ clowns Ratty and Mole (Stefan Swoboda and Olivia Louise Swoboda-Weinstein) carry the main thrust of the storyline, along the theme of ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’. The ethos is followed through by the Addis Ababa Troupe: nine Ethiopian circus acrobats whose gravity defying act seemingly breaks the laws of physics. A touch too ambitious, they momentarily wobble but when they hit the mark the applause is thunderous. Before them, we witness the Cienna Sisters, dressed in emerald, who scale their aerial silks like praying mantises. Cassidy Grace Vallin and Sydney Carrera Wilson tread beautiful ballet steps high in the air, weaving themselves into each other in perfect symmetry. We forget the ropes are there as they suspend themselves, and each other, high above us. There is no safety net, and nothing appears to keep them airborne – except for the most precarious physical contact and an unfathomable level of mutual trust. Beauty and suspense unite to pause our own breathing.
The Jasters – the knife wielding Giacomo Sterza and partner Elena Busnelli – bring us a bit closer to earth. Busnelli, dressed in red (perhaps to camouflage the blood if something goes wrong?), willingly lets Sterza hurl sharpened blades towards her. Although unstated, there is a strong ‘don’t-try-this-at-home’ vibe going on here (as with all the acts). The band sing out the Bee Gees’ ‘Tragedy’ while the daggers fly. Thankfully the ironic prophecy is avoided. Jessica Sterza (aka Jessyka Jasters) is a slightly calming influence as she juggles carpets with her feet. Until, that is, she too rises into the air. Juggler Sonny Caveagna keeps his feet on the ground, but his juggling feats go through the roof. The inherent humour in the show can never disguise the sheer virtuosity. Even Ratty and Mole display highly accomplished skill beneath the tomfoolery. Maizie the Shire horse makes a brief appearance, with her unbelievably cute mini-equine companion, Tinkerbell. Keeping them all in check is Brian the goose (yes – we’re talking about a real-life performing goose here!) whose short moments in the ring belie a sense of self-importance.
It is no doubt a deliberate ploy, but saved for last are the Valencia Flyers – dubbed ‘The Hamsters’ for this Waterfield experience. Two giant revolving treadmills, connected by a spinning axel, are rolled into the circus ring. What follows beggars belief as the duo, Miguel Angel Hernandez Diaz and Carlos Mayorga Macias, look disaster straight in the face as they carry out an act which rips up the rule book of sanity and safety – let alone Isaac Newton’s laws of motion. You have to see it to believe it really – so I’ll say no more. The band subsequently launch into Madness’ “One Step Beyond”. Which says it all. Giffords Circus is many steps ahead of what you expect to see under a big top. It is sheer Madness too. A winning combination that adds to the magic of the evening. As we leave the tent, a crescent moon hangs in the night sky like an emblem to the fairy-tale we have just been part of. We are truly spellbound.
WATERFIELD
Chiswick House and Gardens then UK Tour continues
Reviewed on 21st May 2026
by Jonathan Evans
