Bath's Victoria Art Gallery to host a season of Sharmanka Travelling Circus shows between now and 7th May
Posted on: 21 Feb 2019The incredible, the humorous and the macabre combine for Sharmanka Travelling Circus, which is still wowing the crowds at Victoria Art Gallery in Bath until Tuesday 7th May 2019.
A performing mechanical theatre (the word Sharmanka comes for the Russian for barrel organ) suitable for everyone, though with a few dark twists and turns, its unique blending of sound, movement and image is unlike anything you've seen, or ever likely to see again.
It all dates back o 1974 when inventor and artist Eduard Bersudsky began creating kinetic sculptures in the Soviet Union but who thought it was a long shot they'd get official performance approval. A chance meeting with theatre director Tatyana Jakovskaya during the time of the regime's collapse, however, led to the creation and eventual launching of Sharmanka in St Petersburg in 1989, with its blend of animation, dramatic lighting, music and wholly original theatrical experience it is.
Utilizing metal scrap, grotesque carved figures and pieces of old furniture, this quirkily endearing tale of industrious creatures, an unusual love triangle and the female protagonist's transformation into Death, Sharmanka is one beautifully bizarre show you don't want to miss.
Performances take place every hour and are 20 minutes in duration. Tickets cost £5 for adults, £4.50 for Seniors aged 65+, and children under 18 years get in for free. You can find out more here. Victoria Art Gallery is located at Bridge Street, Bath, BA2 4AT. Tel. 01225 477233 for more information.
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