Cirque Eloize By Elisabeth Mahoney for The Guardian
"At night the sky is endless," one of our two clowns tells us, by way of introduction. And so it is in Cirque Eloize's nocturnal dreamscape, a place of limitless possibility and playful new freedoms. That is what the title, nomad, points to: not a rootless vagabond existence, as such, but a cutting free of any ties to the here and now, the usual order of things.
Blending acrobatics, dance, music, yogic contortions to put Madonna in the shade, slapstick comedy, clowning and juggling, this lively Québécois troupe knowingly play with the idea of a circus (after the interval, for example, a trapeze artist asks if we've had "time to pee-pee"), while also delivering its traditional pleasures with much aplomb.
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Hot and bothered under the big top Charles Spencer for The Daily Telegraph reviews Cirque Éloize at the Barbican and the Roberts Brothers Circus at Weymouth.
These days, many circuses have become so arty that they would probably seem more at home in Tate Modern than the big top.
When the boss of the French Canadian troupe Cirque Éloize got together with Daniele Finzi Pasca, the director of its latest show, Nomade, they didn't discuss the acts, or new stunts, or budgets. No, the big question for discussion was apparently: "How do we conceive beauty?" And I always thought the circus was all spit and sawdust.
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<P>On a second viewing Cirque Eloize remains a sweet show with good tricks, much humour and a distincive atmosphere which appeals to children and adults alike. For the benefit of the former the Sadler's Wells evening shows start at 7pm and run without an interval to 8.30. <P>This is the same show 'Eccentricus', which played at the Barbian last year, but there have been some changes in the personnel and the 'difficult' character who is redeemed at the end is now played by a graceful, hyper-flexible young woman. However, the story elements didn't make quite such an impact on me this time.<P>What the heck! Jamie Adkins is a knock-out with his amazing skill on the slack wire and juggling combined with his physical acting flair. And strongman Daniel Cy does amazing things with a ladder - do not try this at home!<P>Nevertheless, this is a delightful and often gentle ensemble show, rather than a series of specialist acts. Most of the performers show that they have dance or mime as part of their background. <P>It runs till 2nd September and is great for kids and is certanly worth the time of adults, especially in the famine that comes after the SFB week in London.<P>Here's the link to the <A HREF="http://www.sadlers-wells.com/whats_on/spring2001/cirque.asp" TARGET=_blank><B>Sadler's Wells information</B></A> about the show.<P> 
<BR> <p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited August 11, 2001).]