Soleil's shining circus

Cirque du Soleil are an international troupe

The BBC's Neil Smith reviews Cirque du Soleil's new show Quidam, at the venue the company wants to make its permanent home.

The derelict Battersea Power station in London provides a stunning backdrop to the multi-turreted Grand Chapiteau that Cirque du Soleil has erected in its shadow.

The French-Canadian troupe has conquered the world with animal-free circuses that combine astonishing acts of physical virtuosity with elaborately surreal design concepts.

The circus is famed for its physical virtuosity

The inspiration this time is Belgian artist Rene Magritte, illustrated by the headless, umbrella-carrying stranger whose magical bowler whisks a bored young girl (Gabrielle Clouthier) into a magical dream world.

Quidam, the programme informs us, refers to "a nameless passerby, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner... a person who lives lost amidst the crowd in an all-too-anonymous society".

Make of that what you will. The only question is whether Cirque du Soleil's ninth production lives up to the high standards set by previous international hits like Alegria, Saltimbanco and La Nouba.

The answer is a qualified yes. The acts are sensational, though the darker tone of the framing narrative makes this a more sombre occasion than earlier outings.

Director Franco Dragone and designer Michel Crete have created an awe-inspiring arena in which five overhead rails effortlessly waft people and scenery on and off the central playing space.

The troupe's aerial feats astonish the audience

They also enable a variety of aerialists to astonish the audience below with routines involving hoops, silk banners and "Spanish webs", or elasticised, bungee-style ropes.

On the ground, the undisputed highlight is the Russian banquine team, who send each other hurtling through the air with pinpoint accuracy.

Elsewhere we see four Chinese girls and their spinning diabolos, plus Frenchman Benjamin Kahan traversing the stage in a giant hamster wheel.

There is also the astonishing sight of strongman Yves Decoste and his partner Marie-Laure Mesnage constructing sinewy human statues using their own physiques.

But the show would be better off without its clown trio, whose idea of audience participation may strike some as unnecessarily and incongruously sadistic.

Quidam runs at Battersea Power Station, London until 4 February 2001.