ONE of the world’s premier urban circus troupes, Quebec-based Cirque Eloize’s latest show is a spectacular portrayal of one man’s rage against the machine.

Each day lonely pen-pusher Ashley Carr suppresses his individuality to fit into a grey society where happiness is but a fleeting memory. He processes a ceaseless pile of paperwork in a black and white world, inspired in equal parts by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil.

Evoking a soul-destroying factory of cogs and never-ending floors, Robert Massicotte and Alexis Laurence’s video projections offer a powerful backdrop to the loose story in which Carr is brought face-to-face with the meaning of life by a colourful gang who perform circus skills, physical theatre and contemporary dance.

These performers, in choreographed sequences by Dave St-Pierre that at times seem to defy the laws of space and gravity, explode his humdrum world 

Jugglers scoot around on office chairs without dropping a single pin, Carr performs a tender pas de deux with a dress on a clothes rail, contortionist Maria Combarros effortlessly performs one-handed handstands while balanced mid-air and Lea Toran Jenner provocatively twirls around a Cyr wheel.

The highlights come thick and fast in this frenetically paced family show that, despite the brilliance of the individual performers, is ultimately an ensemble piece.

The 13 multi-talented artists conspire to ensure that Cirkopolis is one of the most stunning shows on offer this year.
Touring until April 11, details: cirque-eloize.com