Nofit State's Lexicon at The Roundhouse is nothing short of Bohemian chaos blended with extraordinary imagination and creativity. They have taken the classic concept of circus entertainment and have modernised it with contemporary performance art. 


The Roundhouse is the perfect venue for Lexicon: it has a history of supporting circus entertainment and it allows the performers to blur the boundary between the stage and the audience. 

 

The performers wildly interact with the audience, immersing themselves into the crowds, playing both entertainers and audience members to support their fellow castmates. 

They deliver a show that has you thinking what is this madness, to have your heart in your throat the next, clutching on to anything in suspense. We were sat by waiting paramedics which heightened our anxiety as we watched Ellis Grover dance on a tightrope without any safety nets or wires. 

The leading-edge cast were jugglers of skills, with a walking globe performer playing the clarinet, to swapping the tightrope for the band. Lexicon has a supporting live band throughout the 90-minute performance: they interact with the cast whilst they perform, creating hilarious acts that have the audience in giggles. 


Pranksters that set fire to themselves aside, we were also treated to more sophisticated hand-balancing acts with imaginative use of lighting within a sheer tent. The hand-balancing act flowed into a stylized aerial hoop act, that simulated an underwater dance: just beautiful. 


One particular scene shined out, a life-sized child's mobile toy, a mixture of ladies and gentlemen with canes and umbrellas, sweeping dressing gliding around as the mobile dangled from the ceiling. This brought to the conclusion that Lexicon was a show made of a child's dreams and imagination. 

A truly extraordinary show in the heart of Camden until the 18th of January. 

 

Review: Abigail Kathleen          Photo: David Levene