Review: All the thrills of the show - Circus Aotearoa is circus at its very best

The rola-bola act, performed by Matthias Goed is world-class. Photo / supplied

My children never turn down the chance to see a circus show, and having been to a range of shows both here and abroad, including Las Vegas, they consider themselves to be quite the connoisseurs of the genre.

So it was armed with plenty of excitement, expectation and the obligatory candyfloss and popcorn they joined me in the Circus Aotearoa Big Top in Stratford over the weekend.

Circus Aotearoa is small but perfectly formed, smaller than many circuses yet with all the thrills and laughs of any other circus to tour New Zealand.

The intimate setting of the seating means there is no such thing as a bad seat in the tent, and you will find yourself on the edge of that seat at several times during the show as you watch the talented performers fly high on the silks, juggle ridiculous loads and balance seemingly without pause on the tightwire.

All the circus favourites are on show in this family owned, animal-free circus and it is hard to pick a favourite act as each one seems to top the previous one over the 90-minute show. One child was most impressed by the clown, another by the silk acrobatics while the third rated the rola-bola act the highest.

The rola-bola act, performed by the incredibly talented Matthias Goed, was certainly a highlight. In rola-bola, a performer stands on a balance board which is usually sitting on something spherical and then performs tricks while doing so, such as juggling. It is fascinating to watch and Matthias' version of it is certainly world-class, or in fact, in a class all of its own.

A circus isn't complete without a clown or two, and Pod the clown certainly brings this circus show together. His antics keep the audience laughing and never topple over into making anyone feel awkward or ill at ease as he picks on audience members for some of his jokes and gags. Extra marks must go to one of those audience members at the show we attended (Saturday 2pm), who gave as good as he got from Pod.

While the laughs were loud for Pod, the gasps the aerial performers got were just as audible, as they spun, twirled and tumbled seemingly effortlessly above the audience.

The beautiful intimacy of this circus show is highlighted by the fact the ticket and candyfloss sellers are the same people you then see in the ring. Whether they are flying high above you on the silks, or handing you a hot chocolate and your change, they are friendly and full of smiles, bringing that family circus feel even closer.

As we headed home, my three circus fans might have disagreed as to which act was best, but they were unanimous in one thing.

"This circus is better than the ones we saw in Vegas, and the popcorn was nicer too."

If you missed the show in Stratford, you still have a chance to enjoy it, as the Big Top is now setting up in New Plymouth at the Pukekura raceway where they will be from July 9 to 22.