The outdoor theatre and event company created a four metre-high articulated robot, with flashing eyes and smoking ears.
The prop, dubbed Charles by Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, was designed in response to ideas put to Cirque Bijou by the band, and will accompany Muse to 20 gigs in 11 countries over the next two months.
Last night, fans were enchanted by an enormous flying lightbulb with a glowing filament and an acrobat suspended beneath it, dancing above the audience.
Cirque Bijou also supplied a 1950s-style petrol pump, situated amongst the audience. Its gauges whirr and it spurts water when a female 'banker’ character, one of two actors supplied by the company, approaches it.
Another banker character is the star of a pre-produced film shown on the screens during the song Animals, appearing in the flesh through the audience as the song progresses.
Chris Vaughn, production manager of concert producer TPO, congratulated the Cirque Bijou team: "It’s rare that props turn up that work and everyone loves."
Julian Bracey, Cirque Bijou’s co-director and designer of the robot, says: "This has been a fantastic opportunity for Cirque Bijou to exercise our design and build skills. Something like this is an immense technical challenge as the robot needs to be visually stunning, light and easy to operate, safe, hard-wearing, and easy to pack down into flight cases.
"The flying lightbulb has a completely different set of challenges, and we’re delighted with how it looks and works. The petrol pump is different again and we’re all arguing about who gets to keep it at the end of the tour."
Tait is providing custom staging for the tour.
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