Follow Me – Cultivated

It’s never been so much fun to be part of a crowd: Follow Me is a joyous tumble of urban acrobatics, audience shenanigans, and sheer bravado.

The Norwich incarnation of Belgian company Be Flat’s show takes in a church, a river, and the city streets. Performers Ward Mortier and Thomas Decaesstecker – assisted by some mysterious sidekicks in motorcycle helmets – climb and jump through their surroundings while the audience, well, follow from a safe-ish distance.

But the camp chairs handed out to help with this mobile theatre are also props for the duo to involve the crowd in the show: climbing through them, flapping them like birds, and other creative uses that it would spoil the surprise to disclose here.

Much of it is silly, but it is all good natured and wholesome fun, especially when the audience members step up to put their own spin on things, prompting creatively entertaining responses from the acrobats.

And these are acrobats. While the show has a delicious intimate feel it also has scale, wth Mortier and Decaesstecker spidering their way up their side of buildings, into trees, or somersaulting along roads – much to the bemusement of the passers by, residents, and office works who weren’t expecting them.

Their confidence and liquid movement is stupendous – and for the avoidance of doubt, attempting to copy all of what they do would be stupid. But watching it unfold is sublime.

There are plenty of unexpected treats and twists in this festival highlight. There are limited tickets for the Saturday and Sunday shows: Follow Me and bag yourself some joy.