It might be the season to be merry, but it is also the season when a lot of shows are turning up in London in new spaces that don't necessarily show them off to best advantage. The Generating Company's circus show Storm is a far less electrifying affair seen from one of the Barbican's comfy seats than it was when you had to crane your neck and follow the action around on foot at Circus Space. Did nobody at the Barbican realise this would be the case?
This show was the only thing of any merit to come out of the Millennium Dome. Now, 18 months on, it is a much more assured, tightly choreographed affair as it traces 24 hours in the life of London and its inhabitants. But while the piece has lost some of its rawness in terms of production values, it has not made much progress in its attempts to link circus to narrative. What looked charmingly ragged in Circus Space looks merely thin in the bigger space, which soaks up a lot of the energy and the emotion. The latter was originally one of this show's prime attractions. You normally admire circus acts for their daring; it is rare to find them touching your heart.
The move to a much bigger venue also exposes the limitations of the performers, who are often not skilled enough as circus performers to give you the "wow" factor (although the breakdancing is fab) or comfortable enough to deliver a strong theatrical performance. Some things still work, including the wall-scaling re-creation of the fluctuations of the stock market, and a balancing act that beautifully evokes the experience of falling in love. Pity about the singing, though.
Overall, you come away with the impression of a show that wants to create a new type of circus but hasn't yet found a team with the vision or the expertise to do it. What it cries out for is a really good theatre director. At the moment Storm tries so hard to be cool, it risks ending up seeming naff.
· Until January 4. Box office: 020-7638 8891.
