January 2020 - Let Us Entertain You: Cirque Mechanics in 42ft - A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels

Step right up ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, to the Cirque Mechanics world of gears and canvas, pulleys, and sawdust. Inspired by modern circus, this company finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American industrial ingenuity. Their show, “42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels,” displays a quality rarely found in modern circus. Cirque Mechanics’ signature style is wrapped in acrobatics, mechanical marvels, and a bit of clowning around. It was founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist, Chris Lashua, after his successful collaborative project with the Circus Center of the San Francisco Birdhouse Factory. His shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality rarely found in modern circus, making their message timeless and relevant.

The props on stage feature larger than life mechanical marvels, transforming the theater into a circus. The show features a rotating tent frame for strongmen, amazing acrobats and aerialists, and grandiose galloping mechanical metal horse. The stories within the performance are wrapped in circus acrobatics, mechanical wonders, and a bit of clowning around. In this intense and engaging act, performers tell stories full of theatricality and a modern sensibility.

Cirque Mechanics performances provide audiences with a new view inside the circus ring, immersing the viewer into the timelessness of the evolving art form. In addition to 42FT- A Menagerie of Mechanics Marvels, the troupe has created three extraordinary productions; Birdhouse Factory, Boomtown, and Pedal Punk. Spectacle Magazine hailed 42FT as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil.”

Cirque Mechanics comes to Popejoy Hall on Friday, January 31st at 7:30 PM. Tickets may be purchased online at popejoypresents.com.