Fans of Cirque du Soleil who have watched its shows become increasingly lavish over its 26-year history may be surprised to see Cirque go back to the basics with its latest show to hit town, “Kooza.”

But that hardly means audiences will be disappointed. On the contrary, "Kooza" is a refreshing, stripped-down and downright hilarious show that ranks high among Cirque's repertoire. Bear in mind, for the troupe that reinvented the circus sans animals, “the basics” means stunning acrobatics, a heavy dose of clowning and boldly theatrical presentations. With “Kooza,” Cirque du Soleil foregoes the spectacle and giant set pieces in favor of a focus on the traditional circus arts: acrobatics and clowning.

While most Cirque shows offer interludes of comedy and buffoonery between the acrobatics, in “Kooza,” the clowns are a big part of the story and provide some very big laughs.

Cirque du Soleil's Kooza.

^{Courtesy photo}

This makes sense, given that the show was written and directed by David Shiner, a clown himself who was featured in one of Cirque’s early productions.

Theater audiences will recognize lead clown Ron Campbell, a well-known solo performer who has appeared often on San Diego stages. Campbell, last seen here in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s whimsical “Shipwrecked!”, is perfectly cast as the disheveled, bemused king of clowns who wields a mysterious remote control and one mean rubber steak. Campbell and his two dim-witted, leg-humping subjects (Christian Fitzharris and Jimmy Slonina) interact with the audience to riotous effect, though definitely upping the crudeness factor – ah, bodily fluid gags!

“Kooza” sets up the usual framework: An Innocent (Stéphan Landry) is taken on a wild journey of self discovery by a cast of strange characters. The journey begins when a large jack-in-the-box – the title is based on the Sanskrit word for box – is delivered to a boy with a kite. A mischievous, suave and slightly sinister jester (Mike Tyus) pops out and serves as the boy’s guide – and ours – through the world of “Kooza.”

Acts include contortionists, single trapeze (Darya Vintilova), highwire, a balancing act of Chinese chairs (Yao Deng Bo), and a teeterboard group that launches its members high into the air to do countless flips. Diana Aleshchenko and Yuri Shavro perform a graceful feat of cooperation and balance in their duo unicycle performance, one of the show’s highlights.

Each of these performers demonstrates remarkable discipline and physical strength. There are hold-your-breath and gasp moments in many of these acts, but clearly the resident badasses are Jimmy Ibarra and Carlos Marin Loaiza, and their Wheel of Death. Looking part Road Warrior, a smidge mythological satyr and a dash of '80s hair metal, they climb into a massive rotating contraption with two human-sized hamster wheels at each end. As they get the device spinning faster and faster, they perform gravity- and death-defying stunts in and outside of the wheels. This performance alone is almost worth the price of admission.

The weak link in the show might be the hoops manipulation (Irina Akimova) – swinging seven hula hoops at once, even if one is rotating around your ankle while you’re doing a vertical split just doesn’t quite measure up to other awe-inducing acts. And the success of the Pickpocket’s (Michael Halvarson) act depends largely on his ability to pick the right victim.

The show’s music draws upon a number of cultures and traditions, from Indian music to Western pop, rock and funk. Its look is equally far roaming, with hints of Victorian circus, Asian influences and even a Las Vegas-style skeleton romp with showgirls. It’s incongruent, yes, but with the exception of the Vegas bit (which should stay in Vegas), it all mashes together in surreal and wonderful bedlam.

After all the irreverent clowning, the ending feels a bit precious. But it’s hard not to feel the same twinge of sadness the Innocent feels as he watches the world of “Kooza” slip away into the darkness. Damn, back to reality.

(For another review of Kooza, click HERE.)