Cirque du Soleil continues in its tradition of excellence with the 25th show in 25-year career. Named Ovo, this new show of Cirque offers a slightly different package of the usual aesthetic of Cirque du Soleil in exploiting the theme of insects in a soft environment in Brazil.
Staged by Deborah Colker, the Ovo bugs take life with colorful costumes and inspired by Liz Vandal, reminiscent grasshoppers, millipedes, ants, dragonflies, beetles and other insects without reproducing too faithfully.
Despite their little grotesque expressions, the actors become one with this universe. The set adds to this a touch of fantasy, including the use of a giant spider's web as a net during the second part.
Also, a simple juggling act takes an entirely different dimension when it comes to fire ants that handle huge slices of kiwi, for example.
The music that supports this new production also applies to transport us to this universe with South American accents. Under the direction of Berna Ceppa (who worked with Deborah Colker for over 15 years), this music is well determined and takes us away from of the usual new age trend / world music for several productions of Cirque.
Beautiful Acrobatics, Too Few
In terms of stunts, some numbers just dont do it, both for the prowess of the artists for their visual inventiveness. The act of juggling with the slices of kiwi (as mentionnedabove) is part of the lot.
This is also the case of grasshoppers, combining trampoline and climbing wall. This is déjà vu, but revived with the concept of the show. The trapezium act executed by the beetles do not reinvent the genre, but impressive nonetheless.
However, other act show a basic idea very well thought but the exploitation leaves to criticism. When a pair of butterflies covered with a cocoon go down a wire connected to the ceiling, we can only be marveled in anticipation of a revision of an old number of acrobatics wires. Unfortunately, originality quickly extinguished itself & quickly becames predictable.
Same thing with the dancing giant caterpillar that looks like a spring "slinky" giant. The visual effectis fun, but the act does not take advantage of it & leaves us on our hunger.
The whole thing is punctuated with comic acts, if somewhat dopey, led by three-clowns very typicals.
In fact, if Kooza, the Cirque's previous shows, was aiming the return to the art of the circus (or an increased presence of clowns and visual gags, with acrobatics for the hardliners), the presence of clowns here can become annoying for the adults.
The dance is very omnipresent, you are notified.
In sum, Ovo is a high quality entertainment, with a little childish tone and places a heavy emphasis on the staging, the scenery and the music to offer something new for Cirque fans who have seen others. It is in the raw content that the repetition is, however, felt.
In terms of stunts, some numbers just dont do it, both for the prowess of the artists for their visual inventiveness. The act of juggling with the slices of kiwi (as mentionnedabove) is part of the lot.
This is also the case of grasshoppers, combining trampoline and climbing wall. This is déjà vu, but revived with the concept of the show. The trapezium act executed by the beetles do not reinvent the genre, but impressive nonetheless.
However, other act show a basic idea very well thought but the exploitation leaves to criticism. When a pair of butterflies covered with a cocoon go down a wire connected to the ceiling, we can only be marveled in anticipation of a revision of an old number of acrobatics wires. Unfortunately, originality quickly extinguished itself & quickly becames predictable.
Same thing with the dancing giant caterpillar that looks like a spring "slinky" giant. The visual effectis fun, but the act does not take advantage of it & leaves us on our hunger.
The whole thing is punctuated with comic acts, if somewhat dopey, led by three-clowns very typicals.
In fact, if Kooza, the Cirque's previous shows, was aiming the return to the art of the circus (or an increased presence of clowns and visual gags, with acrobatics for the hardliners), the presence of clowns here can become annoying for the adults.
The dance is very omnipresent, you are notified.
In sum, Ovo is a high quality entertainment, with a little childish tone and places a heavy emphasis on the staging, the scenery and the music to offer something new for Cirque fans who have seen others. It is in the raw content that the repetition is, however, felt.
