Cirque su Soleil - Varekai

Cirque du Soliel's Varekai has been making its way around the world for the past year or so. If you are not familiar with Cirque du Soleil, they come up with a different show every couple of years and travel to select cities around the world, setting up a matrix of enormous circus tents. The visual result is something you would expect to see if you could travel back to the time of P.T. Barnum, but it's more likely that these structures only existed in children's books and the ever-aggrandising memories of childhood experiences.

Stepping into the main tent is like stepping into Dr. Who's police box, thanks to some incredible stage design. The back of the stage seemed to go on into the distance in an increasingly thick forest of tall reeds. Some of the performers slithered around the bases while overs scurried up to the tops. Still others made their way into the crowd or scaled the catwalks above. The music and lighting during these times made it feel as if the audience were on the edge of an exotic wilderness, and this overwhelming experience somehow pulled the viewers into the performance.

Varekai has a frame of a plot that loosely ties together the clowning, acrobatics and stunts of the show. I think the details of the plot come down to interpretation, but I don't think that the focus. The aerial stunts were performed without nets, but one had two spotters below... who, I guess, were supposed to catch the four acrobats all at once should they happen to fall. Drum roll please! Personally I preferred the acrobatics the most. They did a great job combining classic routines with a new twist. In one bit, an acrobat was pulled up high in a net. He would drop in and out of it, twisting, pulling and spinning himself and at times barely clinging the net. In another act, cirque du soleilites (cirqians du soleil?) spun fellow performers by their buttocks, with their feet. Given that center of gravity, I can't figure how they could do it. The old-fashioned clowning was amusing, but I thought it was too much of a break in the consistency of the show. There were also jugglers, contortionists and more.

This performance was astounding. I would gladly go see it again, but unfortunately it has already played in Sydney and the United States. If you have a chance to see it, don't miss the opportunity.