KEY POINTS:
The circus came to town this weekend but it may not be the one you thought it was. Many people have confused Le Grand Cirque - a circus comprised mainly of Asian acrobats, produced by an Englishman - with the French Canadian outfit Cirque du Soleil, which is also headed to town this year.
The name may bear a certain similarity, as does the ringmaster clown who stumbles out between acts pulling audience members on to the Civic Theatre stage, but that's about as close as the two productions get.
Presenting up to three shows a day, at close to two hours each, Le Grand Cirque doesn't have time for intricate aesthetics or the profundities of an existential theme.
Instead, it delivers a series of short, unrelated acts - largely based on traditional Chinese acrobatics - that are easy to digest and visually engaging, if perhaps not as polished as other touring troupes.
The opening pole-climbing act saw close to a dozen men scuttle up the wobbling shafts, swinging like monkeys between the four poles.
But as they spun, swung and plummeted down the poles, there was a distinct lack of synchronicity as the performers ended up out of time and out of line with each other.
Later, a tumbling act, which saw a team of sprightly men fling themselves through various sized hoops, came tumbling down entirely when one performer missed his mark and sent the rings flying.
Despite these unexpected missteps, the rest of the show lacked any real tension or suspense, as the performers swiftly moved through their paces - with safety ropes in plain view.
This muted mood was added to by the theatre setting, which lacked the immediacy and intimacy of a traditional big top.
Of course, the whole point of Le Grand Cirque is it is not a traditional circus.
There are no lions or tigers or bears.
Nor tightropes or trapeze artists.
Instead, there are rubber-like contortionists, ballerinas who balance en pointe on the heads of their partners and a man on a bike - with 10 or so women hanging off him.
Add to this a host of glittering costumes, colourful lights and a playful soundtrack of classical and contemporary music, and you have a spectacle sure to delight - if not completely wow - the crowd.
Then again, circus outings are all about the kids.
And the children in yesterday's crowd were certainly impressed.
As the young lady behind me proclaimed as the curtain dropped, "That was a-maaaz-ing."
