Review | PARADE at Chamäleon Theater, Berlin

At the start of October, Chamäleon Theater invited me back to Berlin to review their new show, PARADE. I had such a fantastic time when I visited Berlin back in March to review their previous show, Scotch & Soda, that I was absolutely overjoyed to hop back on a plane to one of my favourite European cities for the weekend.

Just as I had done previously, I made a point of not researching the show too much before my trip in order for it to be more of a surprise and unexpected on the evening. However, after witnessing their previous season's show and knowing that Chamäleon specialise in innovative contemporary circus, I knew that it was unlikely that I was about to be disappointed! They only showcase two shows per year on 6-month runs, in where the same performers will usually stay throughout the entire show's lifespan and will perform in multiple shows per week.

The theatre itself sits within Berlin's Hackeschen Höfen in the Berlin-Mitte district and is conveniently located only a few minutes walk from the Hackeschen Markt S-Bahn station. In a previous life, the theatre was a historic ballroom and it boasts a beautiful exterior that you're unlikely to miss whilst wandering through the courtyards of the Hackeschen Höfen. I touched more upon the sheer beauty of the venue itself in my previous blog post here.

We were lucky enough to be reserved a table in the second row from the stage, whereas last time I visited we were seated on the balcony. Whilst the balcony offers a spectacular view of the entire stage, being sat at a table that is situated just a few metres from the stage made the experience so much more personal and immersive.

PARADE was a completely different experience from Scotch & Soda, and in all honesty, I found it far more spellbinding. Quite frankly I shouldn't compare the two as despite them both falling into the contemporary circus, they're in completely different genres. PARADE's narrative follows the group of people as they follow a journey of self-discovery as they unwrap the veiled props from around the stage and each prop discovered becomes the basis of the story within each scene. These props range from boxes to a bunch of flowers to mirrors, which are all so simple but become pivotal to the performance. A small story plays out within each part involving the individual objects, but the most prominent story of them all is when the group discover a mysterious, masked figure within a box. It's a show that touches upon a spectre of emotions and thoughts throughout the show from unrequited love scenes to suggested political and social undertones. As a female it was also refreshing to see some of the traditional gender roles reversed as throughout the act there was a balance between the females holding up the male performers and vice versa.

Throughout the performance, I was in awe at the limits the performers could push their bodies to, as well as the strength and discipline they possessed. It's absolutely incredible what the human body is capable of and to witness those dedicated enough to push themselves to their limits on stage was awe-inspiring. Each of the artists brought their own unique artistry to the show, whether that be acrobatics, dance, contortion music or aerial hoops. It was inspiring to see how they worked seamlessly as a group, despite having only been brought together just a few months before for the show. I cannot even begin to imagine putting my trust into someone that I haven't known for long to catch me from a significant height, but the cast move seamlessly without so much as flinching before their drops! I was particularly blown away by the performance of Beata Surmiak who was able to control her body with such ease and strength.

The show is ideal for an international audience as there is hardly any spoken word and is more reliant on the visual representation of the narrative. In fact, the evening we were there the audience was filled with spectators from all across the globe. The show is supported by a mesmerising video installations and a live percussion soundtrack, which help glue the performance together perfectly.

PARADE was directed by Brendan Shelper and it is the first collaboration between his creative production company, battleRoyal, and Chamäleon. It's a powerful and emotive show that leaves you feeling energised and full of questions. In our group, we nattered away afterwards about what themes we personally took away from the show and it was intriguing to hear how different some of theories were, but then what you take away is all down to personal experience.

If you're planning on visiting Berlin and want to experience something spectacular and embrace Berlin's creative culture, then I highly recommend that you should spend an evening at the Chamäleon. Tickets start from just €39 and PARADE will run until 18th February 2018.

You can book tickets over on their website here.

All photos were provided by Chamäleon Theater. 

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Disclaimer: I was invited to Berlin as a guest of the Chamäleon Theater, but all opinions are my own and honest.