Duck Pond brings together Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling in a gloriously inventive circus mash-up. Created by director Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble, the contemporary circus company from Brisbane, Australia, it offers astonishing acrobatics with a welcome sense of mischief.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, Swan Lake follows a prince who falls in love with a white swan and a black swan, while The Ugly Duckling features, well, an ugly duckling becoming a swan. But what if the white swan is the duckling from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale? Would it all end in the usual tragedy, or might there be a happy ending for the prince and the swans, as in the Bolshoi Ballet’s original version?

Before the performance begins, a single white feather appears against a black background. Then the curtain drops.

Wow! Wow! Wow! There is little else to say at first as tumbling, handsprings, human towers, counterbalances and extraordinary feats of balance unfold before us. It is an exhilarating display of acrobatic skill.

Some of those human towers reach three people high. I almost can’t watch – there appear to be no mats, safety ropes or cables. The apparent lack of a safety net makes every balance feel all the more breathtaking.

Libby McDonnell’s wonderfully detailed costumes establish the characters with wit and economy. Act One opens with all but the principals in simple, sparkling black catsuits. The Ugly Duckling/White Swan wears a muted tutu resembling an Elizabethan ruff, while Cupid sports a ruff and contrasting black and white wings, bridging good and evil. The prince also has a catsuit, but also a crown to leave us in no doubt about who he is.

Lifschitz’s stark staging provides an effective frame for the action. Curtains of white ribbons enclose three sides of the stage, sensitively lit by Alexander Berlage to give each scene its own atmosphere.

It is an exhilarating display of acrobatic skill

A pillow fight gives Cupid (Asha Colless) the opportunity to steer the prince towards the Duckling, leaving feathers and chaos in its wake. Enter an army of ducks with orange mops, sparkly yellow flippers, oversized yellow trousers and tinted yellow visors to clear up the mess. It is a wonderfully silly sight. Circa clearly takes its artistry seriously, but never itself. Meanwhile, the horizontal bars offer another platform for the performers’ impressive circus skills.

Before the performance begins, a single white feather appears against a black background. Then the curtain drops.

The Black Swan (Kimberley Rossi) makes a striking entrance with two large black fans, a black bodystocking and red stilettos. The theatrical flourish is matched by formidable aerial skill: High above the stage, the first of the evening’s silks routines by Rossi offers yet another reason to marvel.

Intrigued by the Black Swan, the prince heads to the lake in Act Two. Here, an aerial hoop routine by the girls adds another dimension to the circus spectacle, before further work on the silks by the boys leaves me in awe of the performers’ strength and technique.

There is even a bonus Act Three. Its promise to reveal what swans are like in nature had me intrigued: Where could this possibly be going? Without giving too much away, it is hilarious – a cyr wheel and hoops provide further opportunities for circus brilliance before an unexpected trip to Amsterdam’s Red-Light District. One reservation: Although the Festival Theatre describes Duck Pond as being suitable for everyone, I would not take a child, given its adult themes.

What stays with me is the sheer stamina and hard work behind it all. These are not just extraordinary movements performed in isolation: The cast sustains this level of fitness, precision and skill for SEVENTY-FIVE MINUTES, with every cast member on stage almost all the time. For perspective, an Olympic floor routine lasts a maximum of 90 seconds, while comparable acts on Britain’s Got Talent are allocated two to two and a half minutes. Here, the feats just keep coming.

As storytelling, Duck Pond only touches on its source material very briefly. The links to Swan Lake and The Ugly Duckling are fleeting; this is more a succession of dazzling circus routines interspersed with the plot than a tightly woven narrative. For me, that does nothing to diminish its appeal. These performers are not only masters of their craft but engaging actors, bringing character and humour to the spectacle. I came away astonished by their skill and thoroughly entertained. An amazing show, and absolutely worth seeing.