NOBODY does weird quite like the French.

Or in this case the French Canadians.

Saltimbanco, one of Cirque du Soleil’s most popular shows, lies somewhere between a Daft Punk music video and one of the more surreal scenes from sci-fi movie The Fifth Element.

A colourful array of strange characters put on a show that is by turns amazing, hilarious and bizarre.

It’s a bit like Eurovision, but without the nil-points acts.

Acrobats fly across the stage as they execute death-defying stunts, while jugglers, dancers and other artistes push the boundaries of human skill and dexterity.

Sometimes the stage is so crowded with performers, each doing something strange and wonderful, that it is not always clear where to look.

All of this is set to a live quasi-mystical ‘80s-style soundtrack, in which ethereal synths and sound effects are never far away from a dodgy electric guitar or saxophone riff.

While it does at times sound like they’re about to break into Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing, this cheesy but atmospheric music sets the tone perfectly.

When I were a lad, proper circuses had lions and elephants and stupid-looking blokes in big shoes.

Cirque du Soleil has none of these things, but it more than makes up for it in weirdness, abstract character-driven stories and atmosphere.

Who would’ve thought that a man miming drowning in a toilet could be so entertaining?

It’s a shame that the Arena was half empty on Wednesday – it’s not clear whether this was intentional or due to poor ticket sales, but it did at times feel like a stage show in an empty school hall.

This shouldn’t deter anyone, however. Saltimbanco is an incredible show that no-one should miss.

Go along and enter a strange and magical world for a couple of hours. It’s like France, but weirder.