A good rule of thumb about circus acts is that the less clothing the performers wear, the better. It’s clearly a philosophy shared by Spiegelworld, the Australian creators of “Absinthe,” whose latest burlesque-style offering opened last night in an empty lot near Times Square.
Not that “Empire” is all that risqué. The move from the South Street Seaport to Disneyfied Times Square has resulted in a general toning down of the acts. Yes, there are flashes of nudity, and plenty of scantily clad performers, but the most shocking routine consists of banana chunks being propelled from one person’s mouth into another’s.
Still, this 90-minute show offers plenty of kicks, not the least of which is that it’s performed in the beautiful, antique-looking Spiegeltent, with its many mirrors and stained glass.
There’s a half-hearted bow to New York characters — the Occupy Wall Street protesters, the Viking-clad street performer Moondog — but the real mission of “Empire” is to titillate and dazzle.
It largely succeeds on both scores. A gorgeous female contortionist goes through her exertions in a plastic sphere suspended over the stage. A bare-chested hunk and a barely dressed babe deliver an acrobatic balancing act that makes the Kama Sutra seem demure. And a female singer the other night performed a raunchy duet of “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” with a hapless man she plucked from the audience.
“I hope you have dreams and nightmares,” she cooed as he sweatily returned to his seat.
Not all the acts trade on sex appeal. There’s a terrific routine in which a man spins around a young boy at dizzying speed, and another featuring propulsive roller skating. The most hypnotic segment is also the quietist, in which a performer named Rigolo silently creates an elaborate sculpture consisting of wooden sticks delicately balanced on one another.
The show’s chief clown, Oscar, isn’t nearly as memorable as the sleazy Gazillionaire from “Absinthe,” though he has an amusing bit in which he winds up naked in someone’s lap. If you’re shy, don’t sit in the front row.
The intimacy of the venue only enhances the decadent atmosphere. Add a couple of drinks from the speakeasy-style bar, and you’ve got perfect mindless summer entertainment.