CIRCUS

Think Cirque du Soleil, think big top, flying acrobats and crazy make-up. Well, the last two are still there, but Delirium sees the Canadian circus troupe crank it up a gear. Having sold out in 55 cities worldwide, the show is heading to Glasgow’s SECC – the first time Cirque du Soleil has performed in an arena.

Featuring holograms, virtual reality, multi-media and video projections, the show has been co-produced by rock concert gurus, Live Nation. Keen to reach out to a younger audience, Cirque du Soleil has utilised music more than ever before, as well as incorporating over 500 feet of projection screens. Fans of the trad Soleil style, however, needn’t worry.

‘It’s very different from previous Cirque shows,’ says Delirium’s artistic director, Marjon van Grunsven. ‘We’re using a lot of multimedia effects and rock music, so it’s much more powerful in that sense than a big top show. But the famous Cirque ingredients – acrobatics, gorgeous costumes and make-up, beautiful music – those elements are all still there.’

As well as copious amounts of high-tech wizardry, Delirium boasts over 36 performers, including musicians, singers, dancers and acrobats. There are also three central characters who subtly depict a world where human contact has lost its way. ‘We give people the flexibility to fill in the story themselves,’ says van Grunsven. ‘But there is a businessman who lives in a technological world where there’s no real interaction between people. So we send out the message that it’s important to communicate with each other and get your feet back on the ground.’