Kooza

Cirque du Soleil's touring extravaganza wraps up on July 18 after a lengthy residency in a big top next to Yoyogi National Stadium. Kooza is billed as a return to the Cirque's roots, putting the emphasis back on clownery and physical acrobatics, although it's no less glossy than any of the troupe's other productions – or unpretentious (the name comes from Sanskrit, for crying out loud). While there's a loose narrative based on the quest of The Innocent to find his place in the world, this takes second place to the sheer spectacle. Highlights include the Wheel of Death, the contortionists and the impressively muscled balancing-on-chairs guy.