Review: Cirque Italia’s Water Circus Atlantis at Wrentham Village
Disclosure: Cirque Italia provided our tickets to this show. As always, the opinions here are our own, and we’ve kept them honest even where we disagreed with each other.
Cirque Italia’s Water Circus Atlantis felt less like watching a show and more like being invited to a party. We saw it on Saturday, October 3, under the big top at Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Massachusetts, and every seat was filled.
I went with a small crew: my partner Adam Leffert, our friend Kellee Kosiorek from Creative Hub Worcester, and our friend Thu with her husband Jason and their daughter Amelia. Adam and I have seen a lot of circus, so we went in with high expectations. Here’s what landed for us, and where we didn’t quite agree.
Why Wrentham works
The location is half the appeal. Everyone in the region knows how to get to Wrentham, right off I-495 and roughly halfway between Boston and Providence.
As a customer, I loved that we could plan a whole day around the show. We browsed the outlets before and after, had plenty of food options, and never felt like we were navigating somewhere unfamiliar. For families, that matters: the circus becomes the centerpiece of an easy day out, not a logistics project.
The crowd helped too. There are so many people in that area, and they arrived as excited as we were.
A party, not a performance
For Adam, the standout was the closeness between the performers and the audience. People showed up ready to have a good time, the performers matched that energy, and the two fed off each other all afternoon.
“Maybe it’s the seating or the staging,” Adam said, “but it felt very much like being invited to a party.” The acts are advanced and look nearly impossible, yet there was none of the aloofness you sometimes feel from a stage. The vibe was simply: we’re all having fun together.
The best review came from the row behind us
A little girl, maybe five years old, sat behind us and screamed and gasped at every single trick. Adam and I don’t have kids, but her joy was contagious.
I thought: that is worth every dollar her mom spent on the afternoon. She wasn’t going to walk away and forget it. Her eyes were locked on every act, and I suspect she’ll remember all of it.
It makes me happy that shows like this reach people of every age, and especially young girls. Watching strong women do impossible things, up close, is a powerful thing to see at five.
The water: two takes
This is where Adam and I split. He barely noticed it. For him, the water was a nice hook, but the connection with the crowd was the real show.
For me, the water added a whole other dimension. You can tell the creative team studied the show from different angles to decide when the fountains rise and how the rain falls around each act. It doesn’t feel like an afterthought; it feels placed. In my photos, a curtain of rain falls behind the hoop artist and fountains rise around the aerial silks, framing each act instead of competing with it.
I also liked this show more than the last Cirque Italia production we saw, Paranormal Cirque, the one billed as scary that didn’t really scare us. Performers stumbling through water in soaked costumes didn’t do much for me there. This one simply felt more fun.
What’s in the show
The lineup moves quickly, and almost every act plays against the water. Here’s what we saw:
- Hula hoops: a hoop artist working first with a few red hoops, then a whirl of gold ones, with rain falling behind her
- Rola bola: a balancer stacking cylinders and boards ever higher, then finishing in a handstand on top
- Juggling: a juggler with flaming torches, who also pulled an audience member onstage
- Aerials: silks, straps and a solo aerial act high above the ring, with fountains rising below
- Hand balancing and contortion: a performer holding impossible shapes on a small stand
- Acrobatics: human pyramids and a teeterboard act that launched flyers toward the rig
- Giant beach balls: bounced out into the audience, which the kids loved
- The Wheel of Death: the finale (more below)
After the show, Cirque Italia’s souvenir photo booth is a nice keepsake for groups.
The Wheel of Death still gets us
A bit of context: Adam and I have seen a lot of circus, from Cirque du Soleil to The 7 Fingers. We know the apparatus and the names of the acts. Most audiences have seen maybe 5 to 10% of what we have.
Even so, the closing Wheel of Death was impressive. We’ve watched it 10, maybe 20 times, and it still makes our hearts race. As Adam put it, it’s very “deathy.”
Don’t skip the chicken tenders
An unexpected highlight: the concession stand. Adam never eats popcorn or show snacks, but he arrived hungry and ordered the chicken tenders.
He braced for chopped-up, extruded pieces. Instead he got real chicken, and loved it. The portion is huge: two hungry kids could easily share one. Adam shared a little with Kellee and happily finished the rest.
Should you go?
Yes, especially with kids, or with friends who’ve never seen a big-top circus. Go for the atmosphere, the crowd and the closing act, and make a day of it.
- What it is: a touring, animal-free circus with aerialists, acrobats, jugglers and clowns, performed over a custom water stage with fountains and rain effects
- The stage: holds 35,000 gallons of water
- Kids: Cirque Italia typically offers one free child ticket per full-price adult in seating levels 2 or 3 with a promo code; check the current code before you buy
- Make a day of it: shop and eat at the outlets before or after
- Food at the tent: get the chicken tenders; one order is enough for two hungry kids
