Having seen Cirque Du Soleil twice before at ‘The Beatles LOVE’ and ‘KA’ I know that their shows can vary wildly. At its heart though, OVO is a circus. I mean, the clue is in the name, right? The clowns come out while people pour in, the acrobats perform, the clowns come on in between. There’s even an interval where they shill merch (if you happen to need a £15 mug!). The second act kicks off and then ends with a breathtaking grand finale, followed by all the performers taking a bow.
What Cirque Du Soleil has done, however, is take the greatest circus performers in the world and ramped up the size, scale, danger, and spectacle. OVO has a theme about bugs in the undergrowth, so all performers are dressed as bugs, the backdrop is greenery, and an assortment of weird and wild character carry us through the shows. It truly is awe-inspiring and at times I had my heart firmly in my mouth, watching between closed fingers. People are flung from one end of the SSE arena to the next with insane precision, Aerialists take to the sky with (what looks like) reckless abandon and a finale that includes a climbing wall, trampolines, and more backflips than I’ve seen in one place, finishes the show with a bang.
The show really does tick all the boxes of an arena spectacular, leaning into the size of the venue, and giving you similar kick that you get from the Vegas shows. This show has a very family friendly vibe too, being accessible to all ages. As the bugs use no language, just noises, and body language to convey their stories, the show is also great for anyone regardless of their language.
OVO really is a blast andCirque Du Soleil is worthy of their reputation as world-class purveyors of the most amazing circus you’ll ever see.
