“Passengers” is an incredible mix of acrobatics, dance, juggling, and heart-stopping aerial routines

The 7 Fingers, a Montreal-based cirque troupe, has brought their own brand of acrobatics, dance, and circus arts to New York’s Perelman Performing Arts Center for a limited engagement. Their show, Passengers, blends death-defying stunts with music and acrobatics — even some fancy juggling — to create an artistic event that is not to be missed.

Passengers, written, directed, and choreographed by Shana Carroll, is set on a long train journey. The nine passengers start out as strangers, but find themselves interacting as their trip progresses. Some interactions are funny, like the passenger who can stop time for her companions with a clap of her hands while she moves through their compartments, set to Cole Porter’s “You Do Something to Me.” Some are passionately sexy and romantic, with kaleidoscopic pairings and unpairings of the passengers. Some are whimsical, like the juggler who starts out with three balls and ends up with seven thanks to his fellow travelers. And some are heart-stoppingly exciting, with travelers swinging on a trapeze, carried skyward wrapped in silk, flying at the end of leather straps, or climbing and sliding down tall poles.

It is difficult for me to remember exactly who did what, so I will list the nine performers in alphabetical order: Eduardo De Azevedo Grillo; Keisha Dessalines-Wright; Marie-Christine Fournier; Marco Ingaramo; Anna Kichtchenko; Maude Parent; Michael Patterson; Santiago Rivera Laugerud; and Will Underwood. They are outrageously talented, both as individuals and as a company, and I do not have the words to praise them highly enough.

Colin Gagné composed original music for Passengers, with lyrics provided by himself and Shana Carroll. Camille Thibault-Bédard designed costumes that not only work with the acrobatic escapades of the travelers but also define their characters as the journey progresses. Éric Champoux’ lighting designs, the sound designs of Colin Gagné and Jérôme Guilleaulme, and the scenic projections of Johnny Ranger bring the world of this train into sharp focus.

It is safe to say that Passengers is unlike anything most audiences have seen before. That is all the more reason that I urge you to step onto the long-distance train in the Perelman Performing Arts Center and take a trip with the Passengers!

Passengers is presented by The 7 Fingers at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, 251 Fulton St., in New York, through June 29, 2025. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to pacnyc.org.