As with all of Cirque du Soleil's fabulous shows, the gorgeous Varekai combined dizzying acts of death-defying acrobatics and soulful music with a loosely constructed story about a lonely wanderer. Without any forlorn circus animals, the Canadian group manages to make us all feel like kids again. And the fantastically imagined world of Varekai, as directed by Dominic Champagne, became one of the most exciting shows offered anywhere in the city all year. The wanderer appeared in the shape of an Icarus-like being, who fell from the sky dressed in long, luscious wings. He landed in a landscape of clowns, acrobats and jugglers that made us giggle, gasp and sigh at the mystery of it all.