St Helens blown away by 'As The World Tipped' aerial show

On Saturday, October 21, the world-famous 'As The World Tipped' held its first performance since the pandemic in St Helens, after dazzling audiences in France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Chile, and South Korea.

Complete with aerial performers and a 'tipping' stage, the outdoor spectacle told the powerful tale of the climate crisis through an extraordinary visual lens.

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The cast performed on a tipping stage (Image: Dave Gillespie)
Taking place at Birchley Street car park, the event was billed as the headline event for St Helens' year as the city region's Borough of Culture, with councillors describing it as the "most ambitious event" ever organised by the council.

The free event was funded by Arts Council England, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and the Government's Shared Prosperity Fund.

Performers with St Helens Council councillors (Image: Dave Gillespie)
Wendy Hesketh-Ogilvie, the production's artistic director, who grew up in Rainford and now lives in Rainhill, said that after touring the show around the world, it felt "overwhelming" to showcase it in her hometown.

Centered around the fallout from the Copenhagen Climate Change conference in 2009, Wendy stressed that the show is "not a lecture", but relays a powerful message about the climate crisis amid a backdrop of "beautiful imagery" and breathtaking aerial performances.

As most of Storm Babet had thankfully passed as performers took to the stage, the show was described as an "amazing" and "powerful" event by those in attendance.

Attendees described the performance as 'amazing' and 'powerful' (Image: Dave Gillespie)
Here are a handful of comments shared from Star readers:

Jayne Guy said: "Wow! What an amazing performance [...] Glad I was part of the crowd who enjoyed every minute of talent and time put into this. Thank you."

Tammy Robinson commented: "It was absolutely brilliant. Visually amazing. Well done to all involved."

Barbara Ann wrote: "Was a powerful performance, well done to the artists."

Wendy Green commented: "Great show. Very clever the way the performers interacted with the video."

Matt Smith said: "I enjoyed it with my children, very interesting."

Ruth Evans Tunstall said: "Amazing performance, really moving, so glad it came to St Helens."

Josie Matley said: "It was a brilliant show, so clever."

Tracey Mitchell said: "It was great, kids absolutely loved it."