High-Flying (and High-Cost) Fun
The Latest Traveling Cirque du Soleil Act Will Leave You
Impressed, Even if a Little Broke
By Dan
Hudak
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Cirque du Soleil does it again in Bicentennial Park
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A guy
walks upside-down across a high wire, candles in hand. The
strong men throw girls through the air, only to be caught by
other strong men at least 15 feet away. There’s also a giant.
And little people. And enough gravity-defying, awe-inspiring
feats of unthinkable grandeur it’ll make you believe anything is
possible. At Corteo, anything is.
This is
Cirque du Soleil, after all. The venerable
Las Vegas
must-see has taken its show on the road to
Miami (you
can’t miss the blue and yellow tents when passing Bicentennial
Park) through Dec. 21, and it’s safe to say the show travels
well. It may not have the same “wow” factor as a Vegas
production, but those new to the Cirque canon likely will be
impressed.
This is
not normal theater. Think of it as circus acts loosely connected
by a storyline. There’s no traditional beginning-middle-end
structure, although the idea being the fantasy of a clown’s
(David Figlioli) funeral procession is enough to thread together
acts of astounding physical grace.
Some of
the most impressive pieces come toward the end of Act 2. Uzeyer
Novrusov masters the laws of equilibrium as he balances on a
16-foot ladder; the duo of Botakoz and Dmitry Turkeev
demonstrates incredible strength and dexterity as they fly
through the air while literally hanging off each another; and
the “trio juggling” act of Eduard Novac, Andrii and Sergeii
Kolesnikov shows impeccable timing and coordination.
But this
is not to say Corteo saves the best for last. The
aforementioned strong men playing catch comes much earlier, as
does the surreal foot juggling of Antonia Zadonskaya, the
unbelievable high wire act of Anastasia Bykovskaya, and the
teeterboard routine of Andre Farstad and Elias Larsson. This
last act combines timing, agility and the
more-difficult-than-you’d-think ability to land in the same spot
after being catapulted 20 feet into the air while performing
various twists and flips.
One thing
the show doesn’t handle well is humor. There’s an odd and
unfunny bit with an oversized golf club in Act 1, and the
supposedly goofball “Teatro Intimo” lacks comic timing, ironic
considering the pitch-perfect choreography in most of the other
segments.
If you’ve
never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, this is a good one to start
with. The concept is simple and the execution superb — it has to
be for the safety of the performers and the level of excellence
the Cirque name demands.
However,
there is the matter of ticket prices. Parking on the grounds
will cost you $20, so add that to the $55 to $125 price range
for adult tickets. That’s a lot, even in a good economy. If you
have a genuine interest in seeing it, though, it’s worth it.
Corteo
is playing at
Bicentennial
Park,
1075 Biscayne Blvd.,
in
Miami,
through Dec. 21. Performance times are Tuesday through Thursday
at
8 p.m.;
Friday and Saturday at 4 and
8 p.m.;
and Sundays at 1 and 5 p.m.
For more information go to
cirquedusoleil.com or call 800-678-5440.
Comments? E-mail
letters@miamisunpost.com.
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contents copyright © 2008 Caxton Newspapers, Inc. |
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