Stare in wide-eyed wonder as acrobatics, balancing acts and a flying bicycle transport you to a magical, upside-down world, where nothing is as it seems.
That's what awaits those who enter KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities, the 35th production from Cirque de Soleil, the Montreal-based circus masterminds.
Inside the big top you'll encounter a 46-strong cast of otherworldly characters, from high flyers and contortionists to hand-puppeteers and clowns, in a whimsical, steampunk-theme set in the late 1800s, with colourful, ornate costumes and design along with a perky electro-swing soundtrack.
The story follows the "Seeker", a man who believes in a hidden, invisible world - a place where the craziest ideas and the grandest dreams lie waiting.
The Seeker releases a fantastical world of wonders from a parallel universe just beyond our own.
Watch as a guest at a dinner party climbs impossibly high on a stack of chairs only to discover a parallel scene unfolding upside down above him, performers dressed as fish propel each other as high as 14 metres on a vast trampoline.
Set in the latter half of the 19th century, it presents an alternative yet familiar past, in a place where wonders abound for those who trust their imagination, filled with outlandish, benevolent characters.
The show relies on the extraordinary performances of the acrobats for impact rather than trying to dazzle with high-tech special effects. The wonder comes from the "did-I-really-just-see-that?" moments.
KURIOS made its world premiere in Cirque de Soleil's home city of Montreal in 2014. It arrives with a cast drawn from 17 countries including gymnasts, acrobats, contortionists, hand-puppeteers, yo-yo- wizards, clowns, actors and musicians.
Cirque du Soleil Director Michel Laprise says performers were excited to be back in Australia.
''I am thrilled that I can return through the spirit of KURIOS and I hope it will inspire and bring joy to everyone who enters into our special realm of reality under our big top," Laprise said.
Cirque du Soleil's KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities, is proving to be one of its biggest shows in props alone - with 426 items (the most of any production in Cirque's history) and 65 trucks needed to transport close to 2000 tons of equipment.
Countless hours went into creating more than 100 costumes to dress the cast, particularly the Accordion Man's attire, of which the costume-maker spent a week sewing the inside of the costume, and Mr Microcosmos' nine-kilogram round belly, which took a team of prop makers 250 hours to build.
- Kurious - Cabinet of Curiosities runs from October 2 to November 24 at The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
