“You’ll never see anything like it”, says Secret Circus owner as it comes to Manchester

Burlesque dancers, comedians and spoken word poets were some of the fantastic acts that took part in the Secret Circus on the weekend. The night aimed to give local acts a stage and bring originality back to entertainment, and it did so in abundance.

Boasting over 20 sold out shows in a three-year span; the event was brought to The Kings Arms in Salford and was wholly more entertaining than any Bonfire Night firework display.

Founded in Liverpool, the cabaret is the brainchild of performers Chanel Samson and Eve Howlett. Eve said: “We started the company to bring the community together. It was a monthly event and it just grew so we’re now touring in the UK and in America”.

Asking if bringing the weird and wacky event to Manchester was a good idea, Eve told us she’s wished she had done it sooner. “I was thinking of different places we hadn’t been to and Manchester seemed so obvious. It’s so close to Liverpool and has some amazing talent. I’m very glad we’re here; it’s had a great response.

The Manchester show was a charity special for The Proud Trust (formerly known as LGBT Youth North West), with a concession stand selling popcorn and other sweet treats giving their earnings to the charity. “We’ve done a lot of fundraising for LGBT charities because a lot of our acts are LGBT or Queer acts”, Eve explained, “We started doing that after Trump got elected. We thought it’s a great cause and it’s so key to our hearts”.

“I worked for a festival and saw a lot of acts that I wanted to do an event with, but I thought it would never happen. Now people are coming to me with crazy ideas like squeaky pigs and wrapping sellotape around themselves, and it’s all good fun”.

That element of fun is definitely captured throughout the night’s variety of acts. Liam Hale made us laugh with a silly comedy sketch; Lucky Lockwood sang jazz classics and Dave Viney read his spoken word. His poetry, celebrating Manchester and its people, was perhaps my favourite part of the night. Poignantly written but with sarcasm that made me proud of the city we call home.

The Secret Circus was unceasingly fun, eye opening and weirdly emotional. With plans to tour the UK next year, we absolutely recommend you visit a show. You’re guaranteed not to be bored.

For more information, visit the Secret Cicus page on Facebook here.