Tilt! An '80s Circus Thrill Ride

Cirque Mechanics bring Tilt! An '80s Circus Thrill Ride to Kingsbury Hall on Sunday, November 8, at 4 PM. The show is presented by UtahPresents, the University of Utah program that brings diverse artistic and cultural experiences to campus and the region and also manages the hall.

At the center of the production is a massive, human-powered Ferris wheel that turns the stage into a living amusement park. The show is a spectacle inspired by the sights, sounds, and thrills of America's iconic 1980s amusement parks, and the company has staged critically acclaimed runs in New York City and beyond. The New York Times described its work as "exceptional, evocative, eye-catching, ear-catching and, to keep the list short, engrossingly entertaining," and the company earned a Drama Desk nomination.

Cirque Mechanics was founded in 2004 by Boston native and German Wheel artist Chris Lashua, and the company is known for blending mechanical invention with high-level circus arts. That combination is exactly what Tilt! is built around: the mechanical side comes through in the human-powered Ferris wheel, and the circus side in the acts that move around it. The whole thing is set against the backdrop of an '80s carnival, so expect a lot of that era's particular energy.

It's a Sunday matinee, which makes it an easy one to bring friends or family to. The show is at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, starting at 4 PM on November 8.