When one hears the word “Cirque”, they automatically think of Cirque de Soleil and people dressed as clowns wearing appropriately goofy makeup. While this version of Machine de Cirque did not follow the rules of a traditional circus, it missed the mark repeatedly. 

 

There is no traditional plot that was easy to understand, making me often check my watch and wonder when the show was going to be over. Even the child sitting in front of me was having trouble understanding what was going on, becoming antsy and impatient 10 minutes into the show.

 

Apart from one actress wearing purple who played a variety of instruments, everyone in the cast was wearing the same colors: grey, white, or black. For someone who has been to a Cirque many years prior, I was slightly (but not significantly) disappointed to not see clowns. While the acrobatics were incredible, it was not anything that I have not seen before or was expecting. 

 

At one point during the show when the acrobats were flipping from a high point to a lower crash pad, I noticed that one of the acrobats was a bit shaky in the arms, leaving me worried that someone was going to get hurt. Having taken a circus class in middle school, I learned that learning how to balance is absolutely necessary. 

 

Unlike other circuses or cirques I’ve been to, there were no animals used, just a lot of popcorn being tossed in the air. In hindsight, this was the only part of the show that I actually enjoyed, even though I am not a popcorn eater. 

 

Some of the scenes reminded me of Paris in the 1920s with a slight James Bond twist added in, but because of the confusing plotline, I had no idea where anything was taking place. Not even my high school French class could have prepared me for what was going on, since there was some French or possibly Russian being spoken. But that could have been because I was sitting so far away from the stage. 

 

Overall, I give this psychedelic cirque a 6 out of 10. There was no clear explanation of what was happening or what time it was. The show dragged on for way too long and eventually, I could tell that some of the people around me were getting bored and couldn’t wait to leave. If this is what people go through when they are high on drugs, I must have been in the right place.