Cirque du Soleil’s bottomless treasure chest … still crazy, after all these years
Always magical, Cirque du Soleil is hugely popular with Brisbane audiences and is now back in the city with another hit show.
After 42 years and 53 shows, the Cirque du Soleil brand guarantees quality.
From humble beginnings the French-Canadian company has expanded the scope and scale of contemporary circus by exploring a broad array of styles and themes – and even elemental environments and movement types.
Cirque du Soleil became a global phenomenon with underwater adventure O in 1998 (still running in its bespoke Las Vegas theatre), then tapped into pop culture with tributes to music icons The Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson.
But the majority of its shows are touring productions, curating the world’s finest circus artists from 80 countries to take audiences on imaginative storytelling journeys conjured under Cirque’s purpose-built big top, which has been pitched once again in Brisbane.
Evocative original music and bold creative design are also intrinsic to rendering each work’s world with its own mood and tone.
It is light-hearted, fun … striking a perfect balance between the company’s clowning and its acrobatic roots in centuries-old traditional circus
You might like
KOOZA is Cirque du Soleil’s 20th production and it is easy to see why this show has proven one of its most popular, hosting more that 10 million viewers since premiering in 2007.
It is light-hearted, fun and exuberant in a fashion that delights all ages, striking a perfect balance between the company’s clowning and its acrobatic roots in centuries-old traditional circus. Mime, movement and dance meld in playful high-energy antics and audience interaction, alongside exciting hold-your-breath feats.
I understand why the mention of clowning and mime strikes dread in some, but there is no laboured esoteric tedium here. And you don’t need to recognise the concept, characters and themes underpinning KOOZA to enjoy the ride.
The show charms with quirkiness and a lack of pretension. Queenslander Mitch Wynter’s charismatic and cheeky persona as antagonist The Trickster has a hand in that. The brilliant dancer, acrobat and entertainer is a magnetic presence. And whoever came up with a skeleton dance sporting showgirl feather, it’s a hoot.
Subscribe for updates
The circus artistry framed by the frivolity is superb. Even more commonly seen skills such as contortion, aerial silks, hula hoop, teeterboard and chair balancing up the ante with novel variations and jaw-dropping degrees of difficulty.
My favourite acts, though, were the more unusual (in my experience) and dramatic – the two-tier high-wire incorporating dicey cycling, somersaults and skipping – and Wheel of Death, which is a fascinating and thrilling example of physics in action.
The Wheel of Death apparatus features two hollow rings on opposite ends of a giant arm that pivots 360-degrees around a central axis. Two male performers face-off, running, flipping and swinging inside and outside each enclosure as the arm continues rotating.
Not only do all manoeuvres involve considerable risk and split-second timing, they also reflect extremes in gravitational forces. While it was obvious that jumping rope atop one ring was no easy feat, other leaps appeared effortless, creating momentary illusions of weightlessness that sparked a sense of magic and incredulity.
If you’re looking for an uplifting and inspiring experience that will help you forget your cares for a couple of hours and leave you smiling, KOOZA is it.
KOOZA plays 465 Curtin Avenue East, Eagle Farm, (Behind Royal Queensland Golf Club) until October 4.
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
Free to share
This article may be shared online or in print under a Creative Commons licence