Created by Le Cirque du Bout du Monde

What utter nonsense. Senseless, even tasteless, wanton destruction abounds in a celebration of absurdist chaos, all in what people would call art, performance.

By the creative’s admittance: this isn’t even a show. What this is, is perfection. Yet somehow, it’s also an absolute cacophony of failure.

For many, Der Lauf and Le Cirque du Bout du Monde’s work evokes a similar sensation of David Lynch meeting the infamous Saw franchise or perhaps a more PG-friendly incarnation of Squid Games. But really, it’s a disservice to the unhinged juggling theatre performance that devolves into unhinged suspense. Can the intention of the piece be read as an examination of life’s futility? Absolutely. But for the non-nihilistic in the room, Der Lauf is equally a celebration of game theory, of the everyday and indisputable powerlessness we share: nothing can stop the journey, but no matter what path we take, obliteration will always be at the end to greet us.

Sat alone in perhaps Imaginate’s most ominous pre-set, a single-suited protagonist sits in silence. There’s nothing particularly engaging about them other than the metal bucket covering his entire head, of course. In this traverse form of staging, two rows of spectators watching an elongated stage littered with white-tracking marks have no real clue about the chaos about to unfold. It all kicks off with a big red button pressed by an enormous pink rabbit in a gas mask. And the most distressing thing about this? That rabbit is the least surreal element of the next hour.

Concerns may have rippled to the suitability of children, but rest assured that the expertise and precision ensure this is by and large a show for every age who can cope with sudden noises and considerable amounts of excitement. Der Lauf is many things, (for one) it’s deeply nerve-wracking in its demonstrations and celebrations of the human body’s capabilities of balance and memory. This is authentic surreal circus artistry, which is as jubilantly accessible as it is a little dangerous.

There’s a clear focus and attempt to draw forward the underappreciated value of the core body and muscle memory, one where the intensity of overthinking would spell disaster. Der Lauf thrives at the moment. It can only exist in this singular instance of enjoyment, fear and ludicrousness. The next show may follow the same beats, but the atmosphere will never be replicated twice in different performances.

And then it happens – something beautifully human. An instinct to survive, to aid and assist. To go against the nature of ‘traditional theatre’, to call out and make noise. The audience simply cannot help themselves but shout and shriek to help our bucket-headed protagonist from achieving their goal. It dawns on the audience and reinforces Imaginate’s dedication to placing children at the heart of their programming: they are the guide, the voice, and the teller of how this will play out. How these games are played, won, or lost all rest on their siding with our protagonist.

It involves glass, porcelain and brickwork, even involves a form of three-dimensional puzzle work. The specifics of the games and trials are not to be exposed, only for the eyes and cheers of audiences in a live environment. Despite being a masterful piece of physical body manipulation, memory, and absurdist circus, Der Lauf is a rather magnificent demonstration of storytelling, or at least of the impact small voices can make when enough gather. You will never see something like this again. You may not even want to, not out of fear of danger, but the preservation of a rare and special experience.