Edinburgh – Still sceptical about circus as an art form? The Pulse may well change your mind

The Pulse at the Edinburgh Playhouse - Andrew Perry
The Pulse at the Edinburgh Playhouse - Andrew Perry

Outgoing Edinburgh International Festival director Fergus Linehan has, over the past seven years, overseen something of a transformation in the prestigious arts programme. Under his leadership, the Festival has taken a decided (and successful) turn towards popular art forms, such as circus performance.

It is appropriate, therefore, that his final programme should include The Pulse, an extraordinarily ambitious circus piece for 28 physical artists. Created by Australian company Gravity & Other Myths, the work was originally conceived as a response to the group’s three ensembles being grounded by the Covid pandemic.

The Adelaide-based troupe performed in Macro, the free event at Murrayfield rugby stadium, which opened the EIF programme on August 5. Their contribution to that show – which enthralled the thousands’-strong audience – was, largely, the same performance they are offering at the Playhouse. However, there is much to be gained by an audience experiencing the piece in the relative intimacy of a traditional theatre auditorium (as opposed to the considerable expanse of a national sporting arena).

Director Darcy Grant makes fabulous use of the sheer number of performers at his disposal. An early routine gives a stunning taste of the wonders to come. Nine human towers, each consisting of three performers, criss-cross each other in perfect synchronicity – five walking diagonally, right to left, across the stage, four in the opposite direction.

In another moment, the performer who is holding on their shoulders the young woman at the top of a human pyramid disappears, leaving the woman held by her neck by two of her colleagues. Then, suddenly (and gasp-inducingly), she is dropped, falling, perhaps 15 feet, before she is caught by a group of her colleagues at the bottom of the pyramid.

The Pulse at the Edinburgh Playhouse - Andrew Perry
The Pulse at the Edinburgh Playhouse - Andrew Perry

Such flawless and awe-inspiring routines are typical of the show’s brilliantly sustained 70 minutes. At points, performers do back-flips and land, perfectly, on the shoulders of colleagues. In another, humorous passage they set up to do what appears to be an impossible stunt, only to, indeed, desist in the attempt.

At times, the superb acrobatics give way to tremendous gymnastics and, even, moments that could be described as contemporary dance. Supported by the beautiful, excellently integrated live singing of the National Youth Choir of Scotland, a dramatic, recorded soundtrack, and clever use of light and darkness, this breathtaking piece reconfirms the status of contemporary circus as an art form in its own right.


Ends today. Tickets: 0131 473 2000; eif.co.uk