"My daughter Dalilah was by this morning and mentioned that she had seen the Soleil opening performance at the Forum in Tampa, courtesy of former Big Apple cast member, James Clowney.
I was surprised to learn that they papered the house on opening night.
She said they worked to the round end with nearly half the seats walled off with a few hundred chairs on the floor.
I think RBBB works to about three quarters of the house.
She said the crowd was pretty good but not many in the chicken roosts and added that she found Soliel more impressive in the tent looking up at the show rather than looking downward in a huge arena."
Cirque du Soleil's 'Saltimbanco' recycled show with lackluster circus acts
By John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic
In Print: Saturday, June 27, 2009
[KATHLEEN FLYNN | Times]
The trademark Cirque du Soleil athleticism is on display in Saltimbanco at the St. Pete Times Forum.
TAMPA — I never thought I'd say this, but Cirque du Soleil has lost some of its luster with Saltimbanco, the longtime tent show that has been restaged for arenas. Don't get me wrong: the Cirque acrobats are still among the most magical performers I've ever seen, but something was missing from the opening show Thursday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Many fans love to experience Cirque in its high-tech theaters in Orlando and Las Vegas, but I most enjoy the tent shows. Under the blue and yellow big top, you are in the company's home, with all the quirkiness and character that can mean. None of that exists in the bland, institutional setting of an arena, and there are times that Saltimbanco seems like just another traveling circus — a good one, to be sure — that lacks the atmospheric twist of weirdness you feel so intimately in a tent.
Part of the problem may lie with Saltimbanco, one of Cirque's oldest shows, dating back to 1992 and due to celebrate its 5,000th performance on Tuesday. There are plenty of people who are put off by the French- Canadian company's artiness, and for them, this may be the show to see, but I have always taken a shine to the more thematically ambitious efforts, such as Quidam, with its dark tale of a girl's coming of age.
In the first act, the pacing of Saltimbanco falters badly. After the marvelous Chinese Poles, featuring about 20 muscular athletes in pastel-streaked spandex, the performance bogs down with a string of traditional, self-contained circus acts. These include a trick bicyclist, a juggler and a clown routine that goes on much too long. The act's finale, Boleadoras, a duet with twirling bolas and percussive flamenco-style dance, is strangely anticlimactic.
Still, much of Act 2 is Cirque at its best, starting with the amazing Russian Swing, which hurls crazily costumed figures into the upper reaches of the arena. Large numbers like this really show off the superbly conceived choreography of Debra Brown and the heavy-metal crunch of Rene Dupere's score. And the scary highlight of the evening was the duo trapeze act by Ukrainian sisters Ruslana and Taisiya Bazaliy, limber sprites in pale blue outfits, soaring high over the crowd to blood-curdling soprano sax. |
2 comments:
I saw the Ringling Red Unit here in Phoenix yesterday. If you go in with the attitude that you're going to look for the positive, you'll find it.
The show opened with a silk number over the middle of the arena, (since there is no longer a center ring, how else should I describe it?) I was far more impressed with the duos over the left and right side of the arena, working the silk almost like a single trap while rotating in circles, some very nice stuff.
I enjoyed the Roman Swing act with four swings working perpendicular to one another all at the same time. The highwire was very good, I have never seen that much chrome on a rig before - it made the act really pop.
One innovation was this circular form that was lowered from above the center of the arena, then hooks were attached to raise the wire mesh cat cage. was lowered from above the arena.
LOTS of juggling before the show, during the show and in the production numbers. The long mount for the elephants was good to see.
A few of the clowns had some really good shtick, especially one tall, lanky fellow who had a "Harold Lloyd" character.
And May All Your Days... ~frank
Proper alignment between a presentation and a venue seems to be an elementary necessity. All elements need to be in balance for success. It's surprising that an organization like Soleil could goof on a primary tenet of showmanship.
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