Empire ***

(Please click on the title to see the full review.)
As I had very much enjoyed Spiegelworld's show "Absinthe" several summers ago when their tent was pitched at South Street Seaport, I was happy to hear that they were back in a new location smack in the middle of the theater district. The new version of their circus-vaudeville mashup has several sensational acts, who unfortunately remain uncredited, since there were no programs and their names weren't even announced. Only a couple acts were disappointing -- one ran on too long and another, involving bananas, verged on gross. The others ran from good to excellent. This time around, the tone was more raunchy than risqué. Many of the performers definitely qualify as eye candy. It's much more modest and downscale than Cirque du Soleil, but it makes for a pleasant summer evening. Running time: 95 minutes without intermission. Note: the wood slat folding chairs are not tuchas-friendly.