Cirque du Soleil: Varekai

Varekai is the Romany word for 'wherever' and the premise of this show from Cirque du Soleil, making a return visit to the Royal Albert Hall, is that the production will take any viewer wherever they dream. Celebrating its 25th birthday this year, the company was at the vanguard of the transformation of circus, which back then was an artform that was shabby and teetering on the edge of extinction as a result of a change in attitude to the use of animals in the ring (interestingly, animals are creeping back now, though not in Cirque du Soleil productions). For most people the first Cirque du Soleil experience is the best and the Royal Albert Hall, the ultimate luxury big top, is a great place to have it. What all the productions have in common (at any given time Cirque has many shows circling the globe) is a somewhat confusing narrative that's probably best ignored along spectacular staging and costumes and jaw dropping acts. The sheer extravagance is astonishing. It's a great date outing or adult treat but it's wasted on very young kids because the performers make astonishingly accomplished acts look so easy that children often don't appreciate just how impressive they are.