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magidThanks to JBSegal, last night I went to my first Cirque du Soleil show, Varekai. Wow. Just, wow.
There's no way a description I would write could do the show justice, unfortunately. Here's my rather disjointed impressions1 instead. (Insert many 'wow's at appropriate junctures, and I will try not to type 'wow' again.)
All of the performances were outstanding. (In no particular order) There was a man (Icarus? an angel?) doing gymnastic moves in a net high above the stage, which later became a rope, for other moves and balancing points. There were four trapeze artists not only hanging down off the trapeze (sometimes from one another), but climbing up as well, or moving out the sides. A character brought out an odd contraption, and proceeded to use sound effects to show what (wasn't) there, before feeding the sounds into the contraption; I couldn't help but think of the Soundkeeper and the Valley of Sound, in The Phantom Tollbooth. A man on crutches used them as balance points as he swung his legs around (Thomas flair, anyone), or whirled the crutches as he stood. A contortionist curled her body around in so many different ways that seemed far beyond probable, and made me wonder how she breathed through it. A juggler not only juggled five balls, but also juggled three smaller balls with his mouth. Three men spun ropes with balances at the end, tumbling and keeping them spinning. Other men spun head over heels, over and over again, with all sorts of variations, additional force being given by the other men balancing them from underneath. There were whirling 'Cossacks', in bright red. A whole troupe of men used two long flat swings to provide lift for some amazing aerial feats. The tent darkened and there were groups of points of green lights, moving around the entire arena. Humorous moments came from the singer who had to follow a fickle spotlight, and a magician (the same actor) trying hard to perform any magic at all. [And there's more, I know it.]
There were beautiful costumes, for the variety of 'creatures' and for the acrobats. Lots of wild colors and shapes (when performers didn't need to be too aerodynamic), and much use of headpieces.
The stage is circular, with a number of circular trap doors, and smaller circles that could revolve. Instead of a curtain behind stage, there were many poles of 'bamboo', which swayed when people climbed them. There were walkways high above stage that were also in the same theme.
I could tell there was a story arc, but it wasn't clear how all the different pieces fit together, and I spent more time ooh-ing and ah-ing over impressive performances than figuring out how the different acts flowed one to the next.
Even the tents were beautiful, swirls of bright yellow and blue, with shapes that made me think of the Denver airport and medieval jousting. I was also impressed with the people-moving managed, with so many different entrances clearly marked. It was amazing how quickly the tent emptied after the show (not the parking lots, though...).
1 Rather like trying to describe fireworks. They're too ephemeral for me to manage much. (Though if I saw it a number of times, I'd probably do better. Hmmm...)
edit, 0650, 9/3/04
For a complete list of acts, see JB's post.
There's no way a description I would write could do the show justice, unfortunately. Here's my rather disjointed impressions1 instead. (Insert many 'wow's at appropriate junctures, and I will try not to type 'wow' again.)
All of the performances were outstanding. (In no particular order) There was a man (Icarus? an angel?) doing gymnastic moves in a net high above the stage, which later became a rope, for other moves and balancing points. There were four trapeze artists not only hanging down off the trapeze (sometimes from one another), but climbing up as well, or moving out the sides. A character brought out an odd contraption, and proceeded to use sound effects to show what (wasn't) there, before feeding the sounds into the contraption; I couldn't help but think of the Soundkeeper and the Valley of Sound, in The Phantom Tollbooth. A man on crutches used them as balance points as he swung his legs around (Thomas flair, anyone), or whirled the crutches as he stood. A contortionist curled her body around in so many different ways that seemed far beyond probable, and made me wonder how she breathed through it. A juggler not only juggled five balls, but also juggled three smaller balls with his mouth. Three men spun ropes with balances at the end, tumbling and keeping them spinning. Other men spun head over heels, over and over again, with all sorts of variations, additional force being given by the other men balancing them from underneath. There were whirling 'Cossacks', in bright red. A whole troupe of men used two long flat swings to provide lift for some amazing aerial feats. The tent darkened and there were groups of points of green lights, moving around the entire arena. Humorous moments came from the singer who had to follow a fickle spotlight, and a magician (the same actor) trying hard to perform any magic at all. [And there's more, I know it.]
There were beautiful costumes, for the variety of 'creatures' and for the acrobats. Lots of wild colors and shapes (when performers didn't need to be too aerodynamic), and much use of headpieces.
The stage is circular, with a number of circular trap doors, and smaller circles that could revolve. Instead of a curtain behind stage, there were many poles of 'bamboo', which swayed when people climbed them. There were walkways high above stage that were also in the same theme.
I could tell there was a story arc, but it wasn't clear how all the different pieces fit together, and I spent more time ooh-ing and ah-ing over impressive performances than figuring out how the different acts flowed one to the next.
Even the tents were beautiful, swirls of bright yellow and blue, with shapes that made me think of the Denver airport and medieval jousting. I was also impressed with the people-moving managed, with so many different entrances clearly marked. It was amazing how quickly the tent emptied after the show (not the parking lots, though...).
1 Rather like trying to describe fireworks. They're too ephemeral for me to manage much. (Though if I saw it a number of times, I'd probably do better. Hmmm...)
edit, 0650, 9/3/04
For a complete list of acts, see JB's post.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 01:54 pm (UTC)I saw Quidam which is their most scripted show; but, still, most of the music was sung in their particular gibberish language. I sat there with my parents and was absolutely sure I almost understood what they were saying - that my French, or Italian, or German, wasn't quite up to the task.
Their ability to tell a story through gibberish and movement and impression meant that I had to do my very, very best to come even close to that kind of artistry.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 02:37 pm (UTC)I'd love to see other shows of theirs, to see the range of amazing performance, the parts that are show-specific, the things that are all-Cirque.
If you get close to that kind of artistry, I really must find a way to see you in a show :-). Any chance you'll end up in a production in Boston?
Cirque, and Bebe Neuwirth? Why her? (Maybe I just don't know enough of her work.)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 02:49 pm (UTC)And the theme to Quidam is in French and English - it's what made me so sure that the rest would have actual words to it, too.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 04:02 am (UTC)I've never seen Chicago; who's him?
From my outsider theater-goer perspective, there's a wonderful community in theater. There can be equally wonderful communities in Judaism (though I didn't find that until I was well out of Hebrew school and such)(and though I suspect that theater-people are more likely to live and let live on a broad range of choices).
no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 06:09 am (UTC)and yes. yes. yes.
swing
Date: 2004-09-03 06:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 07:33 pm (UTC)I've seen him referred to as both. The opening IS called The Fall Of Icarus.
A character brought out an odd contraption, and proceeded to use sound effects to show what (wasn't) there, before feeding the sounds into the contraption;
That's called "Animation". It took me FAR too long to figure out why.
I couldn't help but think of the Soundkeeper and the Valley of Sound, in The Phantom Tollbooth.
Nice image.
A juggler not only juggled five balls, but also juggled three smaller balls with his mouth.
Actually, he does a 5 ping-pong ball sequence there after doing the 3.
Three men spun ropes with balances at the end
"Meteors"... and that's 2 boys and a girl, ages 15, 15 and 14
There were whirling 'Cossacks', in bright red.
Georgians.
Just FYI. :)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 03:58 am (UTC)Mouth-juggler: I didn't catch that.
"Meteors": I wonder how life as a (Chinese, yes?) teen performer in Cirque would be. (I assume they were the ones with the scripted fault?).
Georgians, thanks.
Thanks for the info. Oh, and which things were different Wednesday?
no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 08:32 am (UTC)Meteors: Um... there are no scripted faults. What'd you see?
no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 09:29 am (UTC)I vaguely remembered something was mentioned (somewhere in your journal, but I have no idea where) about a fault being scripted. I must be conflating two different things or something.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-20 07:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-02 10:43 pm (UTC)If you'd gone the other direction, you'd have been out of there in less than a minute. I happened to experience the post-Cirque traffic one night, as I always cut through Suffolk Downs when I go to Keya's place. They were directing all traffic in one direction, which made no sense to me (but for which I was grateful. While everyone sat in unmoving traffic in one direction, I zipped on by headed the other way. But most who aren't familiar with that area don't realize that it is bost faster and a more direct way of getting back to the bridge, either of the two tunnels, or Rte 16 by heading towards the Shaws and hanging a left or right, depending on the route you want.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 03:52 am (UTC)Good to know I have options if I go there again. Though perhaps I'd take the T, just to avoid traffic, if the blue line has a decent schedule at night.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-20 07:08 am (UTC)I saw the show last night in Pittsburgh and didn't see this, though we did get the arial hoop that JB mentioned.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-21 04:37 am (UTC)Btw, the people doing moves in long strips of fabric is what I took a class in this past Sunday (though I'm so far from their level of performance it's almost laughable. Except that I'm doing it, which pleases me.).