Cirque de Flambe's antics can be blazing amazing

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

By JOE ADCOCK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER THEATER CRITIC

Playing with fire combines risk and thrills. In the case of Cirque de Flambe -- "flaming circus" in permissive French -- the risk is self-indulgent sloppiness. The thrills derive from uniquely sensational feats of skill and daring.

THEATER REVIEW

IN THE SHADOW OF THE GIANT

CREATORS: Cirque de Flambe

WHERE: Magnuson Park, north entrance, 7400 Sandpoint Way N.E.

WHEN: Through Sunday

TICKETS: $20, under 15 $10

ADVICE: Bring lawn chairs,

wear warm clothing

Some of the Cirque's 27 performers juggle fire. Others swing it around on ropes and bars. Some play jump rope (even double Dutch) with flaming ropes. Others spin flaming hula hoops. Providing non-pyrotechnical thrills is Primary Element: three clever acrobats who twine and combine like rubbery Lego pieces. Their accomplishments involve extraordinary strength, flexibility and balance.

For a literally blazing finale, the cast members whirl exploding fireworks up and down and around and around.

The 10-member Fremont Philharmonic, masters of fluctuating rhythms, supplies admirable musical backup. Sometimes the tunes are subtle and insinuating. At other times they are swingy and nostalgic.

The Cirque has been a Seattle institution for eight years. The current production is called "In the Shadow of the Giant."

A dozen clowns play out the archetypal clown thing: one, the giant, tries futilely to impose order. The rest succeed in creating chaos. The whip-cracking ringmaster, on stilts, fawns on the glamorous skilled performers. He bullies and denigrates his fellow zanies. His rebellious minions retaliate with weapons ranging from a 1940s foundation garment (worn by a buxom "nurse") to a chainsaw (watch out for those stilts).

The clowning often involves failed pyrotechnics. The stunts are not uniformly ingenious or funny. Whether they are amusing, they do go on and on. A clown with his pants on fire or a blazing stuffed toy dog are among the striking but unduly extended bits.

It is easy, however, to feel affectionate indulgence toward the Cirque. The lame stuff is harmless. And the effective stuff is amazing.

More headlines and info from Sand Point.