Enlightened by Soleil’s Shadow

The circus wars are off and running. The winner so far: the audience.

With the rousing “Barnum’s Kaleidoscape,” the people who own the Barnum label return to the one-ring big top in splendid form--no doubt inspired by the blazing single-ring success of the rival Cirque du Soleil.

The “Kaleidoscape” tents (one each for the circus, the concessions and the dressing rooms) dominate a Century City parking lot for the show’s premiere, after previews in Irvine. Although other circus shows from Feld Entertainment, keeper of the Barnum heritage, are still touring the bigger arenas, apparently Feld realizes that urban circus fans--especially in Los Angeles, where Cirque du Soleil made its U.S. debut in 1987--are so accustomed to the intimacy and intensity of the single-ring tent that we’re loath to go back to impersonal sports palaces.

And so Feld mounted a direct thrust this weekend into the heartland of L.A’s Cirque fans--the Westside. This effort goes beyond the one-ring tent. You want a concession stand where spanakopita is offered right next to the cotton candy, where the peanuts are in a Sri Lankan wild rice salad? Can do.

Lest these menu selections make “Kaleidoscape” sound yuppier than Cirque, the comestibles also include hot dogs and popcorn (and lots more). And the circus itself retains a few pre-Cirque-era attractions that distinguish it from being just a Soleil wannabe.

Animals, for example. Cirque du Soleil banished them, and, bowing to post-Cirque sensibilities, “Kaleidoscape” jettisoned Barnum’s usual wild creatures--elephants, tigers, lions. But six magnificent white steeds will make any pre-adolescent horse fan’s dreams come true as they lope around the ring in steps that are gently guided by svelte Sylvia Zerbini.

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A gaggle of geese emerges to waddle around the ring as well, mostly for the whimsical sight of how they look in relationship to the two people who accompany them: their trainer Olga Rogacheva, wearing a Gibson girl outfit with a big bustle, and Istvan Toth, whose height is listed in the program as 27 inches--in other words, the geese are as tall as he is. Toth makes another notable appearance in the performance of the three Golden Statues--a Moroccan trio displaying awesome brawn and balance.

“Kaleidoscape” also differs from the Cirques (Cirque Ingenieux, currently at the Pantages, as well as Soleil) in its lack of a loose narrative framework. Although Linda Hudes’ score, performed by a seven-piece band, efficiently propels the action, the extensive choreography and the otherworldly, unintelligible lyrics of the Cirques are missing. “Kaleidoscape” relies instead on its primary clown, David Larible, to tie the performance together with his personality--and he’s up to the challenge.

Larible has a fake nose, oversize shoes and baggy pants, but his curly mop top and his antics project a wonderfully human touch, demonstrated by his masterful use of audience recruits. On Saturday evening, he had the eye of a great casting director, choosing those who would add to the hilarity but not be embarrassed. Described on paper, these audience-assisted routines don’t sound like much, but they created gales of laughter.

The most distinctive human-based act in “Kaleidoscape” is a spectacular display of marksmanship by crossbow archer Guy (Theron) Tell. His grand finale is an ingenious ricochet sequence, in which he’s both the archer and the bearer of the apple that’s the ultimate target. He also sets off the show’s final coup de thea^tre (on the heels of a raucous explosion of tumbling)--a torrent of confetti that brings dozens of kids scrambling into the ring during the exit music to play among the colorful scraps. For sheer youthful pizazz, however, no one tops the Spanish juggler Picasso Jr., whose facility with pingpong balls and Frisbees is astonishing.

At the opposite end of the age range is a comic band of musicians, Nuts & Bolts, whose members’ ages range from 52 to 86. They play a variety of unusual horns made from household objects as well as more standard instruments, exhibiting the same high spirits evident in the younger performers. They should reconsider, however, using the lyrics for the song “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee”; the one black member of the group sings about the delights of shuffling on down to the Robert E. Lee. Perhaps the English-based Nuts & Bolts and the Italian director Raffaele de Ritis aren’t aware of the racial subtext.

The only other problem was the lighting during a tightrope balancing act--so bright in certain areas of the audience that it was hard to see the performers. Otherwise, “Kaleidoscape” entrances.

* “Barnum’s Kaleidoscape,” at Constellation Boulevard and Century Park West, Century City. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m.; Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2 p.m.; Thursdays, 3:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 p.m. Ends May 23. $22.50-$48. (877) 9-BARNUM. Arrive at least 45 minutes prior to curtain time to see the preshow in the concessions tent. Running time of main show: 2 hours, 45 minutes.