Le Cirque Arcanus
Le Cirque Arcanus ("ark-ann-oo"), the show that's pretending to be a circus plopped in the middle of a Paris intersection, is an odd fit for a Harry Potter world, and its message of tolerance (has J.K. Rowling seen it?) is very similar to that of Epic Universe's other big indoor show, The Untrainable Dragon. But it's kid-friendly and the stagecraft's high production value makes this show worthy of 30 minutes of your time (10 of those minutes will be spent standing in the pre-show area; for the rest, you'll be seated).
Although the conceit is that you're visiting a traveling circus in a canvas tent, in fact the sets and special effects are anything but plain and simple and everything takes places in a properly air-conditioned theatre. Live performances in the pre-show room briefly set up the main characters (with a special projected appearance by Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander from the Fantastic Beasts films—it helps if you've seen those, but that's not mandatory to enjoy this attraction). But after you're seated for a few minutes of the main show, the narrative takes a turn and the proceedings become technically dazzling and populated with adorable creatures—it's Fantastic Beasts, after all. And that gorgeous final show curtain is divine!
Le Cirque Arcanus is so oddball that it’s kind of hard to believe it ever got off the drawing board, but you can't say they didn't execute the idea well. Sit anywhere. Showtimes are posted in front of the performance "tent" as well as on the park's app.
Le Cirque Arcanus ("ark-ann-oo"), the show that's pretending to be a circus plopped in the middle of a Paris intersection, is an odd fit for a Harry Potter world, and its message of tolerance (has J.K. Rowling seen it?) is very similar to that of Epic Universe's other big indoor show, The Untrainable Dragon. But it's kid-friendly and the stagecraft's high production value makes this show worthy of 30 minutes of your time (10 of those minutes will be spent standing in the pre-show area; for the rest, you'll be seated).
Although the conceit is that you're visiting a traveling circus in a canvas tent, in fact the sets and special effects are anything but plain and simple and everything takes places in a properly air-conditioned theatre. Live performances in the pre-show room briefly set up the main characters (with a special projected appearance by Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander from the Fantastic Beasts films—it helps if you've seen those, but that's not mandatory to enjoy this attraction). But after you're seated for a few minutes of the main show, the narrative takes a turn and the proceedings become technically dazzling and populated with adorable creatures—it's Fantastic Beasts, after all. And that gorgeous final show curtain is divine!
Le Cirque Arcanus is so oddball that it’s kind of hard to believe it ever got off the drawing board, but you can't say they didn't execute the idea well. Sit anywhere. Showtimes are posted in front of the performance "tent" as well as on the park's app.
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