Rise

Rise
by Dizzy O’ Dare
World Premiere at Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre
July 18th, 2017

by Bernie C Byrnes

Rise, a new indoor show by circus act Dizzy O’ Dare, had its World Premiere at the Pavilion Theatre in Worthing on Tuesday July 18th as part of Worthing Theatre’s Summer of Circus festival – and I was there!

Rise wanders into a twilight world of show business, where lovers meet against a dream-like backdrop of song, circus, cabaret and the silver screen. Combining tightwire, live music, theatre and Dizzy O’ Dare’s surreal eclectic style, Rise is a voyeuristic journey woven through with rich and romantic imagery, a poignant series of vignettes about the complexity of relationships, delivering a delightful blend of comedy and pathos.

It’s great. It’s a great show but…Rise is billed as a circus show, which in my opinion is an error. In fact, for me, they could have done away with the underwhelming tightrope altogether except as a metaphor (which it successfully was but would have been served better by a line on the ground). Clowning it was, physical theatre it certainly was, moving, impressive, thoughtful, yes, but circus, not really…

This piece is a beautiful observation on relationships and the way men and women can hurt each other and themselves when life gets difficult and painful. The (spoiler alert) loss of the baby was beautifully handled but I’m not sure the audience knew what they were watching. I’m aware I sound patronizing but found myself gaping in mild horror as a full house laughed at a woman being sexually abused on stage. Mind you, she was dressed as a giant rabbit in a hat so guess maybe that makes it funny?

It’s a wonderful piece, really clever. The journey of how two people fall in and subsequently out of love is one of the best depictions I have seen.

Rise was presented by The Coasters Touring Network and is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Seeded by House and produced by SeaChange Arts.