In other words, it had to be translucent. And call me crazy, but I also see the ascendance of metaphorical translucence almost everywhere I look these days. Most of the most interesting art and entertainment right now is translucent, not transparent. By which, I mean works of art and entertainment that are not instantly obvious, that don't give all their secrets away at once, that illuminate, but don't harshly expose. They're works of art that glow.
Regular circuses are transparent.
The lush, surreal Cirque du Soleil is translucent. In literature, there are splendidly translucent writers like Don DeLillo and Dave Eggers. On television, there's the deeply murky X-Files. Perky, sexy, girly pop. It's all of the above.