Magical 'Cirque Le Masque' comes to Van Wezel

A young tourist fed up with city life wants to run away and join the circus.

So she hops on a plane to the magical paradise of Rio de Janeiro where she is greeted by a parade of performers who take her on an amazing journey.

That’s the plot woven throughout the acrobatic feats of the exciting “Cirque Le Masque,” which comes to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for two performances Sunday.

The comments that producer Dennis Schussel gets over and over again is how much the show resembles all the imaginative grandness of the popular Cirque du Soleil, though there’s no affliation with it, it shares much of the same world-class circus elements.

As the “Cirque Le Masque” Web site says, it’s “your passport to the world’s greatest party.”

The European-styled circus, which has been touring for 14 years, features all the things one would expect from a show of its kind — dramatic Carnivale-themed music, stunts and an imaginative story.

“They will see a great balance of show,” said Schussel. “Some comedy — that’s going to be tremendous fun. They’re going to see breath-taking aerial acts from the world’s finest.”

There’s trapeze acts, too, along with a jaw-dropping three-person balancing act, a German wheel act, a brand new diabolo act and so much more.

Many of the performers have been seen in Cirque du Soleil shows internationally. Schussel said he recruits the very best.

There’s also a special treat for families that come 15 to 20 minutes before show time. They will get to see the show’s resident clown.

“He has a lot of fun with the audience,” Schussel said. “Especially the kids. This is a show that is appealing for ages 3 to 93 in its truest sense. It is perfect family entertainment.”

While there’s plenty of circus shows around that feature some of the same fare, Schussel said “Cirque Le Masque” is in a league of its own for the most part.

“We have one of the most upscale and creative shows,” he said.

“Not only are the acts fun to watch, but people look forward to the transitions between the acts, because we have some very clever transitions.”

You’ll have to see it to believe it, he said.

January Holmes, features writer, can be reached at 745-7057.