Zarkana\': Cirque du Soleil debuts new gamble in NY

Like a cocktail with a dash of \"Alice in Wonderland\" and a splash of \"Rocky Horror,\" Cirque du Soleil\'s highly acrobatic, dream-like spectacular \"Zarkana\" opens this week with its world premiere in New York. The show is a flashy rock opera that mixes bold acrobatic showmanship, powerful live music, and a balanced use of video effects -- a heady mix filling Radio City Music Hall\'s towering stage that matches Canadian director Francois Girard\'s surrealist vision. In a show some have compared at times to a dream or a nightmare, a magician named Zark (played by Paul Besson) appears in a shining red suit on an abandoned-theater set. With music setting the tone, gravity seems to disappear as performers rise and fly, soar and fall. \"Zarkana\" may have a bit of something for everyone: the show boasts poetry by Erika Chen; there is speed on the \"Wheel of Death\" segment with brothers Ray and Rudy Navas Velez; art with its \"Flags\" installation; harmony in its \"Rope Duet,\" featuring Di Wu and Jun Guo; and sky-high jaw-droppers \"High Wire\" and \"Trapeze.\"