Walking into any form of Spiegeltent always feels like a window into yesteryear – a world where travelling carnies would take their skills from village to village, setting up shop wherever would accept them – but such illusion is broken early during Absinthe, as the lights go down and a voice states, “If you are offended by words like ‘fuck’ or ‘shit’ you might just be at the wrong fucking show” (so far, so Ice-T). But as far as tone goes the warning is entirely appropriate, as Absinthe is indeed a raunchy and occasionally debauched take on the modern tent circus, like a sexy, risqué Cirque Du Soleil (at whom they take many barely concealed potshots) featuring no animals but plenty of animal magnetism.
Ringleader The Gazillionaire and his perky but twisted sidekick Penny Pibbets bring the fun (and occasionally the filth), their comedic routines interspersed between incredible displays of acrobatic and gymnastic prowess that take place in the tiny space left in the centre of the rows of seats. It’s 90 minutes of strength, agility, balance, coordination and innuendo in equal doses, with smatterings of smut and near nudity and plenty of laughs. A circus experience that’s certainly not for the faint of heart in more ways than one.
