Cirque du Soleil revisits 'Quidam'
By Karen D'Souzakdsouza@mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/16/2011 Picture credit : Al Seib Costume credit
Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam" first swung into the big top back in 1996.One of the most critically acclaimed of the extravaganzas from the French Canadian circus juggernaut, "Quidam" embodied the best that the troupe has to offer. It was a marriage of eye-popping acrobatics and metaphorically rich art that both celebrated the poetry of the body and harnessed the power of the mind.
Haunted by Magritte-inspired headless men in bowlers, bursting with ennui and spinning around the wistful mystery of a lost little girl, "Quidam" suggested the existential nature of life as the millennium approached. It was beautiful, but it was dark, even a little disturbing, a surreal dream that tiptoed at the edge of the void and thus spoke perfectly to the mood of the '90s.
And since its debut, the blockbuster has been seen by almost 10 million people worldwide.
"It's a (Franco) Dragone show, the old-school Cirque, the real deal," says hand-balancer Olga Pikhienko. "It's an intricate world, where the more you watch it, the more you see."
Now the critical darling is back, but it's not at all as you may remember it. This time around, Cirque has ditched its trademark blue and yellow big top in favor of playing the arena circuit, from HP Pavilion to the Cow Palace. It's a milestone in the life of the troupe, which started out as a ragtag band of street performers in 1984 and is now one of the most powerful global entertainment brands around.read more at: http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_17619078?nclick_check=1
Haunted by Magritte-inspired headless men in bowlers, bursting with ennui and spinning around the wistful mystery of a lost little girl, "Quidam" suggested the existential nature of life as the millennium approached. It was beautiful, but it was dark, even a little disturbing, a surreal dream that tiptoed at the edge of the void and thus spoke perfectly to the mood of the '90s.
And since its debut, the blockbuster has been seen by almost 10 million people worldwide.
"It's a (Franco) Dragone show, the old-school Cirque, the real deal," says hand-balancer Olga Pikhienko. "It's an intricate world, where the more you watch it, the more you see."
Now the critical darling is back, but it's not at all as you may remember it. This time around, Cirque has ditched its trademark blue and yellow big top in favor of playing the arena circuit, from HP Pavilion to the Cow Palace. It's a milestone in the life of the troupe, which started out as a ragtag band of street performers in 1984 and is now one of the most powerful global entertainment brands around.read more at: http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_17619078?nclick_check=1
No comments:
Post a Comment