A SHOW which starts with the Dublin Theatre Festival director, Tony O Dalaigh, picked at random from the audience, standing holding a red balloon which was inflated by another poor victim, until with a great bang it bursts sand all over his suit, looks set to be a winner. Cirque Eloize, a new Quebecois circus, have stripped circus down to its elements, rather than to its traditions, and its genuinely (rather than traditionally) funny clown has a knack for making members of the audience do his crazy bidding. He seems to plump particularly for middle aged men oozing respectability: three of these were soon seen on stage, swaying, dressed in sombreros, and singing: "Coo coroo coroo!"

The team of acrobats is enormously skilled, and again, eschews tradition in its choice of toys. The young men tumble over each other and on the "ground, everyday bicycles carry them piled high, back to front, or rearing like horses, and most breathtakingly of all, an acrobat of quite astonishing strength elegantly coils himself up and down a long rope, sometimes letting go and slithering towards the ground, only to stop himself in a graceful movement. This is circus with well chosen music, special effects (such as the acrobats falling out of the roof towards the audience), and drama.

This reviewer is a sucker for the ring and the sawdust, the sequins and the cat's eye grease paint, but Cirque Eloize's show is still a real joy, and hopefully they will be encouraged to come back for more than one show next time.