Mat Ricardo: Showman

Mat Ricardo is all too aware of how jugglers are perceived, particularly at the Fringe, where circus-style antics and the enforced jollity that accompanies them can get old fast. Newcomers to Ricardo's unique brand of showmanship should put such stereotypes from their mind, however. He practises the art of 'gentleman juggling', and even if you arrive with ignorance, you will leave with respect.

Ricardo is, first and most obviously, an incredibly talented juggler. He has been honing his talents for over 20 years, and it shows. He is also a smart, funny and incredibly likable performer whose involving, self-deprecating banter carries the audience ably from trick to trick. But Showman is more than the sum of its parts. It is an articulate and imaginative defence of a performing artiste lifestyle which has survived for centuries in spite of all obstacles, and remains as relevant today as it ever was.

Still, Ricardo's main selling point is the astonishing dexterity and imagination he applies to traditional juggler's tricks. Even the most jaded audiences will be impressed when bowling balls enter the equation, and a monologue wherein Ricardo explains why juggling chainsaws is actually a con sets up his decision to employ something truly dangerous...

In making an unfashionable skill fresh once again, comparisons have been made between Ricardo and Derren Brown, but Ricardo brings more charm to a single hour than Brown has to his whole career, and so deserves to be seen on his own ample merits.