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“Saltimbanco” aims to tell a loosely connected story of urban life, and its inherent blending of people and their cultures. The sheer variety of international live acts alone plays to this notion.

When Quebec street performers Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier formed the basis for Cirque du Soleil in 1984, it would have been hard to fathom the immense global success the entertainment company currently enjoys. Now a full fledged worldwide entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil now finds itself comprised of over 15 unique resident and touring shows located all over the world.

Among their canon of work, the vibrantly colorful “Saltimbanco” (a take on the Italian, “saltare in banco” curiously meaning “to jump on a bench”) is something of hallmark production. The original “Big Top” version of the show ran for nearly 15 years, playing its last show in Rio de Janeiro in 2006. Less than two years later, immense demand has prompted Cirque du Soleil to resurrect a more compact road version of the spectacle for a brief reunion tour of the US and Canada. On Wednesday, Oct. 1st, Cirque du Soleil found a brief home locally with the first of five performances at Milwaukee’s Bradley Center.

While the pervasively kaleidoscopic visual feast initially appears chaotic and for some, a whimsical sensory overload, the show is nevertheless surprisingly ordered in its theme.

“Saltimbanco” aims to tell a loosely connected story of urban life, and its inherent blending of people and their cultures. The sheer variety of international live acts alone plays to this notion. The show began with Soleil’s now signature “Chinese Poles” act, where roughly a dozen acrobats perform synchronized aerial stunts on a handful of two story high poles. “Saltimbanco” also draws on a number of European influences. One of the show’s reoccurring characters is that of a young Calvin-esque miming troublemaker, who provides some of the production’s most nostalgic childhood laughs.

While “Saltimbanco’s” stage was scaled down slightly from the original production, it never quite seemed like an abridgement of any kind. The high flying duo trapeze act, as well as the synchronized bungee acrobats, though brushing awfully close to the lowered lighting rigs of the Bradley Center, never looked to be impeded by the non-traditional venue.

Of the more subtly impressive acts, the touring “Saltimbanco” brought back its famed “Hand to Hand” strongman act, where two male gymnasts perform a number of hand to hand balancing strength acts, relying solely on each other for support. While the impressive act conjured images of classical circus archetypes, the show’s rather contemporary trademark “Artistic Bicycle” act breathed a healthy dose of modern exhibitive performance in the already impressive lineup. Symbolizing a carefree bike ride through the city, a costumed bicycled performed a number of tricks including wheelies, handstands, and using the full-size bike as a unicycle.

Operatic original music has always played a large role in most Soleil performances, yet among the myriad of flamboyant stage acts of “Saltimbanco,” it felt a bit superfluous, but never came off as an entirely unwelcome addition.

As perhaps the only true heir to Barnum and Bailey’s heralded title of “The Greatest Show on Earth,” Cirque du Soleil is quickly becoming the standard in timeless entertainment. One of Soleil’s great testaments is its colorfully visual and nostalgically thematic appeal to both children and adults alike. Among its immense and growing catalogue, “Saltimbanco” stands out as a most accurate survey of Cirque du Soleil’s artistic vision, an immensely colorful big-top throwback to the days of traveling performers.

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