Since 1984, the French Canadian troupe Cirque du Soleil has been wowing audiences with its contemporary vision of circus entertainment that is rooted in the rich tradition of commedia dell’arte.

Focusing on astounding human skills, innovative stagecraft, live music, dynamite choreography and stunning costuming, Cirque’s productions are a feast for the senses. “Varekai’ (in the Romany language of the Gypsies meaning “wherever”), currently running under the Big Top at Marymoor Park, is molded in a similar vein to its many wildly successful predecessors.

It is a highly imaginative, allegorical tale that loosely tells the story of Icarus, who falls to the earth, breaking his legs in the process, and lands in a strange, new world. “Parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest, a kaleidoscopic world populated by fantastical creatures, this young man sets off on an adventure both absurd and extraordinary.”

From the start, the audience knows it’s in for a unique experience, as a parade of imaginary, otherworldly characters walk, crawl and slither their way around the stage or climb up bamboo poles and hang like marsupials in a forest.

Puffs of steam and smoke arise within this primordial scene, which is at once splashed with an explosion of color and sound.

Out of nowhere, Icarus (Anton Chelnokov) descends and proceeds to perform a series of aerial acrobatics within a net-like contraption. As if trapped by a web, he twists and contorts his body into unimaginable positions, in an apparent struggle for release.

His journey begins at the edge of time in this place of all possibilities where nothing is what it seems and life changes without notice. He must learn to take comfort in chaos, as he sets out to conquer the obstacles in his path on the way to Varekai.

The heart of the show is the acrobats, tumblers, twirlers, jugglers, trapeze swingers, aerialists and contortionists (over 50 performers hailing from 13 countries around the world), who execute eye-popping and breath-taking acts with balletic grace. One amazing stunt follows another from British identical twins, Andrew and Kevin Atherton, who soar through the air performing their amazing trapezelike strap routine to Russian gymnast Irina Naumenko who does astounding hand balancing feats on canes. Juggler Octavio Alegria sets a fast and furious pace, as he juggles everything from pins and balls to hats that he throws out in Frisbee fashion, racing across the stage to catch them as they fall perfectly in his waiting hands.

A trio of whirling dervishes spins madly about in an exciting Georgian dance routine, while a lithesome group of sea green nymphs dangle from a trapeze bar, as they make geometric shapes, a la Pilobolous.

In “Water Meteors,” a pair of young Chinese boys twirls weighted ropes at dizzying speeds and then tosses them high in the air where they come to land curled around their bodies like snakes. Clowns intersperse the acts with a variety of different interludes for comic relief, ranging from slapstick and physical errors to magic tricks that go astray. The show’s conclusion is a finale to remember.

Suffice to say it includes a group of gifted Russian gymnasts, human propelled swings and lots of gravity-defying, jaw-dropping feats. The crowd roars its approval. “Varekai” enchants and thrills viewers with its mind-blowing, ear and eye-filling acts of accomplishment and artistry, providing an evening of magical entertainment to satisfy all ages.

The show runs through June 11.

For ticket information, call (800) 678-5440 or visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.