Mat Ricardo: 3 Balls and a New Suit

Mat Ricardo was plainly born in the wrong era. Like those women in war films who shove battleships across a table with big sticks, Juggler just isn’t really a career any more. But it used to be, and that’s the basis of Ricardo’s show. Dapper, besuited, and so dry he could suck moisture from the air, there’s a definite vein of self-pity running through the show, which would distil down to ‘I’m an artiste and none of youse appreciate me.’ However, it’s counterbalanced by the undeniable grace and beauty of the routines he performs, and the passion with which he talks about juggling as an art form.

His repertoire is classic, from five ball juggling which makes me feel motion sick, to seemingly floating cigar boxes, to the famous tablecloth trick (which I bet you’ve never seen in real life). These are interspersed with genuinely funny anecdotes he’s collected during his career, from the pervert on the cruise ship, to awkward Homeland Security interviews, as well as some fascinating tales about famous jugglers of a century ago, including Enrico Rastelli, who had 3,000 mourners at his funeral.

However, the best part of the show was the cane and hat dance. Slick, sublime and eloquent, it was like being visited by the ghost of entertainment past. Bittersweet and gorgeous.