Dark Circus

“Come for the show, stay for the woe” is the motto of the morbid circus at the center of the French puppet company Stereoptik. In this sad circus the catastrophes pile up, one after the other. The trapezist crashes to the ground; the animal trainer is devoured by his lion; the human cannonball never returns from outer space. Luckily, there’s a clumsy juggler to breathe a little color into the proceedings.

If the circus is dark, the tone is light. Music and images accompany the action, and the story is laced with poetic moments and a healthy dose of irony. The visual magic of the theater meets the childlike wonder of the circus.

For family audiences.