Le Cirque Invisible

Over 14,000 people attended the Queen Elizabeth Hall in August 2009 for Jean-Baptiste Thierrée and Victoria Chaplin's intoxicating mix of magic, make-believe and trompe-l'oeil. Luckily for those who didn't get the chance to see it, Le Cirque Invisible is back by popular demand from 5th to 25th August this year. Described as "an aerobic workout for the imagination" by Time magazine in the early 90s, Le Cirque Invisible is a magical mix of illusions and tricks. For three weeks this summer, the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall will host the inspirational circus act performed and created by husband and wife team Jean-Baptiste Thierree and Victoria Chaplin (daughter of Charlie Chaplin). They may have been performing for years - with a white haired Thierree now 70+ years old - but their act has lost none of its ingenious ideas nor its ability to fire the audience's imagination. Rabbits and ducks are the duo's supporting cast - but there's nothing so cheesy as a 'rabbit-out-of-a-hat' moment in this collection of tricks. Instead, it's utterly original. There's physical comedy with him hamming up the play-acting while she performs amazing acrobatic animal imitations. It's a wonderful mix of magic, illusion and circus - Chaplin is adept on a wire or unicycle. Suitable for both adults and children, if you were taken to see Le Cirque Imaginaire (as they used to be called) as a child, no doubt you'll want to pass on the experience to your children.