Cirque du Soleil has been in San Francisco for the last month or so performing their new show, Ovo. They’re set up near the ballpark, close enough that I can almost see them from my apartment. We went to see the show a few weeks ago, and we loved it.

Like most Cirque du Soleil shows, Ovo passes over the standard circus aesthetic in favor of a more intimate, cabaret style. All the regulars still show up – clowns, gymnasts, trapeze artists – but the “world of insects” theme reigns supreme.

The music, sets, costumes, and choreography all work together to convey a surreal, ground level landscape filled with larger-than-life plants and creatures with accordion legs and kaleidoscope eyes. I especially liked the sets, with their massive blooming flowers and plants bent at impossible angles. Even better, the performers somehow managed to jump and bounce on them all like they were firm, level ground.

The show is here through Jan 24th, and it’s well worth seeing if you’re in the area. If you go, let me know what you think!