The audience held a collective breath on Friday as the ensemble cast of Rime performed jaw-dropping and gravity- defying acrobatic stunts.

Based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Square Peg Contemporary Circus’s new show tells the haunting story of a sailor’s troubled voyage, involving the supernatural.

Staging consisted of a scaffold rig in the middle of the theatre, with two poles either side. This was transformed into a boat using sails and flags. The story was told using haunting folk songs and sea shanties, physical theatre, circus skills, narration and dance.

With thrilling acrobatics, human towers, Chinese pole, aerial rope and silks, the performers stretched the limits of the human body.

Scaling the scaffolding with ease, they showed remarkable strength, flexibility and balance, but what really stood out was the trust between them as they worked in perfect unison with flawless lifts and tricks.

Even singing at height on a balance beam, the vocals did not falter, showing impressive control.

Performing without harnesses, the bravery and professionalism of the cast was outstanding and received gasps and applause aplenty from the audience.

Despite some genuinely chilling moments, the spectacle dominating the narrative was inevitable, but made the show no less enjoyable.