CIRQUE DU SO MUCH FUN: "I want to do a reality show that debunks the myth that clowns are bad," said Amy Roloff, mother of four, and one of the stars of her own hit reality show Little People, Big World (above with her son). "Cirque du Soleil and Kooza proves just how fun clowns can be."

Roloff was speaking to me in the Tapis Rouge tent Thursday night, underneath the Grand Chapiteau, during intermission of Kooza, the latest show from Cirque to roll into Portland. It was the VIP night and the audience was packed to the ceiling with loads of local celebs including Roloff and her family, Dandy Warhol front-man Courtney Taylor-Taylor, The Shins James Mercer, Columbia Sportswear's grand dame Gert Boyle, Mother's chef Lisa Schroeder, Bluehour owner Bruce Carey, 105.1 radio dude Mitch Elliott, as well as tv talkers including KGW's Drew Carney, Stephanie Stricklen, Russ Lewis, and KATU's Anna Song alongside her bald-headed babe, Oregonian sports columnist John Canzano.

While the show allowed everyone in the audience to be a little kid (truly, there is nothing like a Cirque show to make you feel like you are only 9-years-old again, not matter what your age) inside the Tapis Rouge adult beverages flowed including flutes of champagne and bottles of fine wine. Patrons had the opportunity to graze on lamb shanks and flanks of beef prior to the show, but during intermission...omg...Cirque rolled out a candy bar (yes, a bar with a zany amount of candy on it) that rivaled anything Wonka could have imagined.

Perhaps it was the sugar high, but Kooza was the sweetest, and yet still, the most compelling Cirque show I've ever seen (and I've seen at least eight of them). The clowns, like Amy said, were amazing: gentle, funny, bawdy and kind. And the acts—including high wire work, teeteboard, and the incredible wheel of death—had the feel of an old time circus that had been catapulted into the 22nd Century. I liked the music too. It kind of reminded of the Brand New Heavies meets Bollywood, and I think, was the first time I'd ever heard English lyrics in a Cirque show. If you're looking to suspend reality for a few hours, Kooza is the place to do-za it.

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