Cirque du Soleil, Royal Albert Hall

The internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil return to London this January for their annual winter run at the Royal Albert Hall. This year’s show, Quidam, last graced the RAH in 2009 to rave reviews from skeptics and aficionados alike.

Perhaps the biggest name in circus arts, Cirque du Soleil was originally the brainchild of Canadian busker Guy Laliberté. It’s now nearly 30 years old and in its time the large-scale showiness of its performances has occasionally rankled with critics nostalgic for the big-top circus acts of old. (No such understatement for Cirque, which is a permanent fixture on the Las Vegas Strip, and plays six shows all year round.) But served up with all the glitz and showmanship that the Cirque du Soleil is famous for, Quidam – pronounced as in the French ‘kee-dam’ – has managed to win over even the most recalcitrant of critics. It’s a truly remarkable showcase of superhuman skill and the beauty of the body when pushed beyond its limitations. 

The two-person contortionist act Statue will take your breath away: an acrobatic floorshow that stretches the notions of balance and equilibrium quite literally to their elastic limits. The quartet of tiny Diabolo Girls are another highlight: disco-dancing, somersaulting and juggling at the same time – just in case you weren’t feeling idle enough already, post-Christmas. There is a plot to the show – a young girl, Zoé, is bored and retreats into a world of imagination populated by ‘quidams’ (faceless passers by about whom we know nothing). But it plays second-fiddle to the magnificence of the acrobatics on show. A must-see. 

Admission: £98.90 - £18.93
Address and map: Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP
Nearest tube: High Street Kensington