For anyone who feels they are living in a circus; sometimes playing the clown, walking a tightrope or even being fed to the lions, then the absurd world created in The Gonzo Theatre Company’s The Circus of Perseverance won’t seem completely surreal. Amidst bunting and popcorn, they have created a space where reality and the imagination fuse to give us an impression of our fair city, as confusing and colourful as we live it.

Seven interconnected stories come alive to the backdrop of a circus ring with clowns, a presiding ringmaster and live music. Interspersed between these scenes are stories narrated by the ringmaster, which work as intermittent parables.

Philip Doherty’s writing is brilliant. As intelligent as it is hilarious, the stories are tightly woven, somehow avoiding cliché and over-sentimentality yet covering a huge amount of topical issues- the church, the media, abortion, emigration, debt, greed, racism, violence- it’s all in there, yet Doherty keeps us laughing until the end.  The very strong ensemble never let the ball drop.

Like the sadness behind a clown’s red nose, so too is there profundity behind the slapstick vaudeville. A priest brings us a message of hope in a closing sermon, but the Dublin inhabitants live that message every day simply by continuing on. Hope triumphs over despair: as good a reason as any to come out and see this show.

Star rating: ★★★★