Can you see beyond the tent?

Nicole & Martin live in a caravan: it may be the least interesting thing about them.

People who live settled lives – most of us nowadays – have always regarded those who don’t with a mix of fascination and fear. Life without (apparent) ties is easily romanticised from the comfort of a property-holder’s armchair: think of Toad, abandoning the comforts of his stately home for a gypsy caravan. So it is not surprising that Nicole and Martin’s story is often told in reviews, film and even in the company’s own publicity, principally as the story of a travelling circus. It is, after all, such a quixotic tale – the Swiss family crisscrossing Europe to perform their spellbinding acrobatics in a big white tent before an unending parade of passing audiences.

It’s a good tale but, as I watched Nicole & Martin’s two performances in Oxford a few days ago, I…