"Zarkana" does not have the the ethereal sets and dream-like choreography of "Love". Nor does not have stunning water nymph dances found in "La Reve". But "Zarkana" is very true to the Cirque du Soleil's roots and early beginnings, and is an enchanting homage to the traveling circuses of yore.
This circus features a poignant collection of delirious jugglers, bawdy clowns, a number of dauntless acrobats who defy physics and human endurance, a defeated mad scientist and his coterie of believers, and a pickled mutated baby that acts as the lead float in its sideshow parade.
Although the performances in "Zarkana" are very much old school and emphasize its audacious acts and astonishing acrobatics, this show is in no way reminiscent of the Circus Vargas that sets up its tent in your neighborhood mall's parking lot.
It is far more prodigious, where almost every performance will leave you gasping with awe and wonder, and garnished in typical Cirque fashion with ostentatious costumes, a score of pandemoniac songs that both lull and excite you, and eerie video and images that are projected all around its stage that give "Zarkana" both a Gothic and Steampunk vibe.