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June 15, 2003
Cirque du Soleil: 'O' and Varekai
Last December, I went to see Cirque du Soleil's show O at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and, although, I don't want to compare it to theatre, it was certainly the best and most spectacular production/performance piece I have ever seen. Absolutely Fabulous! Despite paying over $100 for my ticket, I would love to go see it again and think it alone would have been worth the trip to Vegas. One of the reasons it would be worth seeing again is that at all times many things were happening on the incredible stage so I could never watch everything at once. This also kept the show from ever getting boring. The comic clown interludes were also brilliant and incredibly funny. I, who am a very impatient person, was not bored for one second of the performance. The water stage and the amazing things they could do to cover it, fully or partially, were definitely a huge sixth man for the show and I love water. The highlight for me was the Russian Swing towards the end where they did (estimated) 50' vertical launches and 70' horizontal launches of acrobats who did tricks and then dives into the water - Incredible! Simply one of the most amazing things I have ever been to!
I unfortunately did not get to see Mystere due to the time near the holidays and the shows just going dark during my days there so I had to make a choice and only see one.
Anyway, what makes me comment about this now is I just watched on my TiVo the Cirque's new show Varekai on the Bravo channel. After returning from Vegas and discovering all the Cirque stuff on Bravo, I have taped and watched a bunch, including the entire season of Fire Within, the Cirque reality show on the casting and training for Varekai so I was looking forward to seeing this. I quite enjoyed Fire Within.
Unfortunately, as with the other Cirque shows I have seen on Bravo (which is I think most of the travelling shows and not the set shows like O and Mystere), it just didn't work for me. I don't know if it was the show or not being live but really think it is a combination. A lot is lost on TV, particularly as the filming unwisely makes way too many cuts, dissolves, replays, slowmos, etc... that detract from the viewing. However, I also just didn't find this show nearly as interesting as O. Not nearly as much was happening on stage at once and some of the pieces definitely did get boring. The interludes in particular were very poor. Both the singer/spotlight skit and the lightbulb guy skit made it obvious what was going on after 10 seconds but kept with the, not very good in the first place, joke for like 5 long minutes. Nowhere near the fun or interest of the O clowns. Still, there were of course some amazing acrobatics and highlights for me were seeing the people I'd gotten to know in FW, particularly Oleg and Tatianna (sp?), the incredible balancing maneuvers, the mouth juggling and the Russian swing finale. However, the Russian swing, while excellent, wasn't half as enjoyable as the one in O, probably mostly due to lacking the water to dive into and thus allowing more extreme manuevers. I will probably go to see any Cirque show I can but I have a strong feeling I have already seen what for me will be my great favorite.
Posted by aarondf at June 15, 2003 06:27 PM
Comments
I would like to echo your sentiments about O. I actually have seen "O" twice at Bellagio, in addition to staying at Bellagio on my second trip to Vegas. I first saw "O" on September 8, 2001, three days before the world changed. For whatever reason, it seems that the proximity to 9/11 with my first ever visit to Vegas has brought about some sense of melancholy and a sentimental value to that particular visit. I actually flew back on 9/9/01 from Vegas to my home in Memphis. I have seen all of Cirque's permanent shows, including "O", Mystere, and La Nouba. By far, "O" stands out from the rest. I will say that the overall level of talent was a bit more extensive in La Nouba. Not to take anything away from the "O" performers, but I thought that the actual "acts" were a bit better at La Nouba in Downtown Disney (Orlando). However, the stage, setup, and overal performance can never be equaled to "O". Nothing Broadway, or anyone else for that matter, has ever produced can hold a candle to "O". It is almost too much to put into words. Mystere was a decent show, but it appeared to me that it is becoming a bit dated. Mystere opened in 1993, if memory serves me correct. Mystere, like some of the older casinos on the Strip and Downtown, is beginning to show its age. "O" has that timeless quality that really does not date itself. The only thing that really puzzles me about Cirque du Soleil is why they have never put a permanent show in NYC. Even though "O" seems to fit well in Vegas and I can't imagine it being in any other casino but the high-brow Bellagio, I still think that a permanent show in NYC is warranted. New Yorkers LOVE Cirque. Every Cirque show that has been through NYC has received excellent reviews. Maybe a second "O" show would be a good idea. They could call it 02. I will never forget O and I can't wait to take my parents some day.
Posted by: Patrick at June 28, 2003 08:21 AM
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