KATHERINE MACALISTER talks to the producer of an action-packed circus show that’s coming to town

If you want to see “circus in the 21st century”, then Cirque De Ciel’s Shanghai is for you. Coming to the New Theatre and boasting a wonderful array of death-defying and professional acrobats, straight from China, Shanghai is already becoming a worldwide phenomenon.

And yet it was still an enormous risk to stage such a considerable show during a recession, a gamble that is now reaping the rewards. “It was a big ask and a big risk but we really believed in what we were doing and what we could create and luckily it’s paying off,” producer Stephen Leatherland tells me.

So how did he find the right acrobats? “We spoke to the Chinese government agency about staging a Cirque style show and they recommended a troupe in Beijing at the time, so we flew over, had a look and knew we’d found what we were looking for,” Stephen explains.

“And obviously we had to tweak the show for a Western audience, but the basics were there because the acrobatics are astonishing,” he promises. Having strengthened the storyline, heightened the special effects and reinvented the lighting, Shanghai is now touring the country and coming to Oxford next month. But catch it quick because with plans to tour in the US, Europe and the Middle East, their feet are hardly touching the ground.

So is it dangerous? Stephen laughs: “Of course because everything is done for real with no wires, but the level of professionalism is evident because in 13 weeks and a 30-strong cast there have been no injuries.” Touch wood.

“And the standard of the acrobats is astonishing – the show keeps you on the edge of your seat because so many of the acts push the human being to the nth degree.”

  • Cirque De Ciel is bringing Shanghai to Oxford’s New Theatre on September 4 and 5. Call the box office on 0844 8713020.