Hotel Paradiso

Thin Wire Spectacle

Hotel Paradiso

Lost in Translation at The Beauty, Underbelly Circus Hub, the Meadows, Edinburgh Fringe until 27^th August

Review by Eleanor Marsh

Guinness World Record holder Lost in Translation is a collective of international artistes based in the UK, all at the top of their game, and now creating quite a buzz at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Hotel Paradiso is a well-known play and film that has its original plot slightly changed for this production.  But the plot is not the thing here and any purists looking for a replay of the movie are in the wrong place.

On the thin wire of the little of the plot that remains, hangs the favourite hotel’s future, which is under threat from the baddies from the bank; needless to say the occasional illicit affair and obligatory police chase are employed to add even more drama to the story and the clever use of proper slapstick is very impressive.

But “thin wire” is the operative phrase here.  Dialogue is minimal and not always audible, but if it were missing altogether it would not matter.  This is a piece of spectacular circus.  It is a visual treat that is suitable for children of all ages (right up to the army of OAPs having a wonderful time at the performance I witnessed).

Even before the performance proper the audience is entertained by some subtle clowning.  Audience members are recruited as “hotel guests” and the Spiegeltent in which the show plays, which could easily host “Moulin Rouge”, is the perfect location for some balletic feather dusting by the cast’s resident French Maid.

Our introduction to the actual show and the performers is provided by the hotel’s concierge, and then we are whisked away for an hour of madcap, fast-moving entertainment.  The troupe of players use every circus trick in the book.  The audience is treated to balancing acts, acrobatics, hula hoops and trapeze, not to mention the slapstick and juggling.

All in all this is a wonderful hour’s entertainment. It’s thrilling, spectacular and funny by turn and I’d highly recommend it – real fun and a little escapism that is much needed at present.  As for the bad bankers and whether they’ll take the hotel away from our heroine hotelier, well – you’ll just have to see it to find out!

Eleanor Marsh, August 2022

Photography courtesy of Lost in Translation Circus