Three Legged Race's Défis déjantés kicks off Thursday at Montreal Complètement Cirque

Three Legged Race, the English circus company returning to Montreal Complètement Cirque for a third year, is premiering Défis déjantés Thursday—a cabaret blending game-show parody with live circus performance, hosted by Montreal comedian Pascale Marineau.

The company, whose members previously performed with Cirque du Soleil and Les 7 Doigts, are known for breaking the fourth wall and integrating local artists into their shows. "We like to break the fourth wall," cofoundatrice Katharine Arnold said. "To create a solid connection with the audience, we partner with local artists—people audiences can identify with and who bridge us to them. That makes none of our shows quite the same."

Marineau, who graduated from the École nationale de l'humour in 2022, was discovered by TOHU's leadership after performing at an improv-cirque evening earlier this year. She'll host the cabaret, which is styled as a parody of popular game shows like The Price Is Right, Family Feud, and Wheel of Fortune.

"We form teams with audience members, they play games, and based on their answers and reactions, we improvise too," Marineau explained. "Throughout it all, there will be circus performances."

With only two days of rehearsals before the premiere, Marineau's stress level sits at zero. "We're really jumping into the void, even if the terrain is well-mapped," she said. "It will be a beautiful controlled skid. We'll have fun, it'll be irreverent, there will be surprising moments and things that crack people up, right at the edge of vulgarity."