Circus / Cirque Bon Bon. Canberra Theatre. Until August 24. Reviewed by SAMARA PURNELL.

Mario (Clarke McFarlane), Queen of the Circus, greeted the audience in his manifestation channeling his idol Freddie Mercury and with a faux French accent, asking if we can understand him because, he says, sometimes zis accent is hard to…ow you say…put on.

A few brief jokes referencing the locale landed perfectly with the audience, dressed in pink, as per the brief and on board from the get-go. The immediate appearance of beach balls bouncing through the theatre signalled a light-hearted show that the audience could comfortably enjoy and get involved in. An interlude with the audience saw one of CityNews’ own critics get thoroughly sniffed before Mario decided it was his own moustache he could smell that reeked of virility.

With Queen songs scattered throughout the show, Mario performed an entertaining juggling routine, timed perfectly to Another One Bites the Dust and later on he “initiated” a willing female audience member into the world of unicycle riding, humorously set to Fat Bottomed Girls (you make the world go round). The father of a couple of young girls was the perfect helper for Mario’s appealing act of dueling bananas which was genuinely hilarious. A post-show check confirmed he wasn’t actually a plant from the cast.

The soundtrack struck just the right note between moody, topical and humorous, with remixes or covers of well-known songs. Rihanna’s Diamonds and Britney’s Toxic were amongst the instantly recognisable tracks and set the scene for the routines. Four dancers performed short, balletic contemporary routines full of flexibility and lifts and a tap routine in black sparkly outfits was also performed.

A dramatic rendition of Sweet Dreams accompanied a slick suspended hoop routine. Ashleigh Roper’s hula hoop routine was a feat in isolations, with so many body parts circling in different directions, she even managed to catch a hoop on her foot while in a backbend. Cody Harrington’s juggling routine would have outdone the rhythmic gymnasts at the Olympics, with silky transitions, precision and humour and a conclusion that elicited gasps of delight from the audience.

A straps routine performed by Liam Dummer in a white costume, gave a Christ-like impression, with his outstretched arms, and muscles glistening as he spun and twisted and rolled suspended above the stage. He performed a stunt that would give dentists a heart attack. A hypnotic Cyr wheel routine by Alexandre Lane was understated and sophisticated with moody lighting and music.

Contortionist Shannen Micheala gave a little foot wave over her head while bent in several different directions. She built up the routine with simultaneous balancing and contortion before the climax of her act, a version of which she holds a Guinness World Record for.

Duo Synergy artists Emma Goh and Scott Lazaravech performed a balancing act using each other as counterweights, the petite Goh appearing to match the imposing Lazaravech in strength. They closed out the show with a rollerskating routine that literally made heads spin.

Pink, purple and blues lit the show beautifully. The costumes were tasteful and pretty and the show was not sexualised either with content or costuming, Rather, it was sophisticated but accessible to all ages.

Cirque Bon Bon is a show that intentionally has no agenda or storyline. It’s just pure joy – tight, slick, sharp, visually appealing and with a great soundtrack. Every transition was smooth, within and between acts, barring one small glitch of a few seconds of random music. The performers glide through their dangerous and daring routines, graceful and easily, whether juggling, spinning, swinging or skating and Mario is one of the best emcees going round.

With a duration of around 75 minutes, the time went in a flash, leaving everyone on a high.