Another Cirque in SF

The big yellow-and-blue-striped tent -- the Grand Chapiteau -- is heading back to the Bay Area.Cirque du Soleil's latest touring show, KOOZA, will have its U.S. premiere Nov. 16 in the parking lot behind San Francisco's AT&T Park. The show then moves to San Jose Jan. 31.You can never tell with the quirky Cirque, but this show sounds pretty straightforward -- a return to a more traditional circus tradition of acrobats and clowns. The director is David Shiner, a clown well known to Bay Area audiences for his work with Bill Irwin in Fool Moon and for his performance in the early Cirque show Nouvelle Experience.KOOZA, currently on tour in Canada, centers on a character called The Innocent, a ``melancholy loner in search of his place in the world.'' Creators promise ``bold slapstick humor'' as The Innocent encounters The Trickster, The Pickpocket and, most intriguingly, The Bad Dog.Tickets are $55 to $90 and go on sale to Cirque Club members June 28 and to the rest of us in July.Visit www.cirquedusoleil.com or call (800) 678-5440.