"What I’ve discovered since I’ve been back,” says Gatien, “is that Toronto has a vibrant dance, arts and theatre scene. The city is about to explode. This club is a perfect showcase for it all.” It is Gatien's voice. That geek-chic bark hits my ears hard, and yet with his almighty nightclub background, his context is that of a clear-thinking businessman.

“In my mind, Circa will attract a full range of people - young, old, gay, straight - with several events happening at various parts of the club. And the beauty of it all is that this four-story, 53,000 square foot space is on full display from practically any vantage point. This is great as Circa will be a collection of smaller areas within the club, all distinctive from the rest. What was hot in the ‘70s and ‘80s was one big space. Now, we need small spaces - little oasises - to promote good flow.”

Circa is so chillingly large - 53,000 square foot, in fact - that it flirts with self-parody of Gatien’s previous venues, which may be where it derives much of its destabilizing power. The new club sets itself a big challenge - modest yet monumental - of persuading us to flock to Circa, like Lucid (and Playdium before that) failed to do. Gatien wants Toronto to loosen up a bit by bringing this troubled address to its full potential and show us how it should be done.

The funny thing - not so funny, really - is that Lucid (and Playdium before that) was successful, if only for very limited runs. The sheer size of the venue demands a whopping 3,000 people to make it a good night. 500 people at another club could be a successful party, but at this monster club, the space would look empty.