Varekai - undedited version

Guarantee to banish “back to work” blues, this stunningly costumed, virtually plotless show has, mercifully, partially improved the dire clown sequences in a glossy production with a reptilian theme, blending the daring with the sinuous and pushing human physicality to the limit.

A trio of twirling tots proves that early training pays off, a shimmering serpentine contortionist twists into impossible shapes as she balances one-handed on a cane, and the juggler is almost as adept at chucking balls by mouth as by hand.

Best of all are the acrobats glittering in red and gold, who spin and flip each other with the ease of seals tossing a ball, and the jaw-droppingly intrepid Russians somersaulting between elongated swings with such amazing control that time stands still as they hover in mid air.