Why Ovo Isn't a Good Piece of Theatre or a Quality Cirque du Soleil Production

Even the artwork is uninspiring [Source: Cirque Tribune].

As a Cirque du Soleil aficionado who has spent thousands of dollars on the brand, I feel I'm more than entitled to say that the 2009 touring show Ovo is the worst Cirque du Soleil production in the world. For years I have stuck up for Cirque du Soleil when theatre buffs scoffed at me after I've suggested Cirque productions possess a high level of theatrical and artistic value, but in this case anyone who claims Cirque is a soulless machine is completely right. Ovo is nothing short of a theatrical debacle, having very few worthwhile elements combined with some of the worst directing I've ever seen in a professional multi-million dollar production. Ovo is an ignominious artistic failure, lacking the exquisite sophistication, attention to detail and magic that has distinguished Cirque du Soleil as an avant-garde theatrical entertainment empire of the highest quality. It is not at all theatrically engaging, stimulating or special, and is completely undeserving of being associated with the Cirque du Soleil brand.

Written, choreographed and directed (terms that are increasingly more dubious than the last) by Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker, Ovo tells a broad story of a colony of insects who are preparing to have a feast and dance-off. Amidst this wacky world of insects is the heart-felt story of love, illustrated though a trio of reoccurring clowns comprised of a bumbling patriarch, a ladybug, and (by far the worst) an insufferable stupid blue male called 'Flipo' who brings the egg to the colony (which subsequently just deflates with a schizophrenic light-fest and a tinny rendition of Beethoven's 5th . . . spoilers!) and treats us to a cracker of a performance by running around the tent screaming "OOOOOKAYYY! PUP-A-WAPA-PA!! WOOOOW OOOOOOOOVOOOOOO!" for what feels like 90 minutes. While the show still boasts a degree of Cirque's incredible level of athleticism in its feats and acrobatics, Ovo flops because it just goes nowhere. There is no unifying concept or structure to the show, and to simply state that the whole show falls under the umbrella of 'insects' is very broad (lazy) of the creative team. The show traipses around flouting incredible acrobatics but divorces itself from Cirque's typical aesthetic, with the majority of the show failing to uphold any attempt at a mise-en-scène, utilising stupid costumes and banal music, and failing to engage the audience emotionally due to an absence of conflict and drama that does not imprint any lasting thoughts or emotion to reflect on.

The three main characters/clowns, and some of the costumes
which take insect features too literally [Source: USC Annenberg].

The acts and acrobatics of the show are naturally the main focus of most audience members in Cirque du Soleil, and it's true that the cast are very talented and a couple of moments stood out in terms of interesting feats. The Foot Juggling performed by a chorus of tiny Asian artists attracted a huge amount of applause, juggling giant watermelon slices and bits of corn with their toes, and the Diabolo routine performed by Tony Frébourg was flawlessly executed, his furiously spinning routine marred only by the obnoxious music. The Slackwire act performed by Li Wei was probably the best act when it came to bringing all the elements together, and also boasts the most interesting song in the show. On a whole the acts are solid but there are also some rancid acts that should never be used in a professional show. The Acrosport act was very poorly staged, the group not managing to command the attention in terms of utilising the space. The Creatura Manipulation was just fucking stupid. I can't believe that's actually considered an act and is actually in the show. Legs scene? Disgusting wallowing with no purpose to anything. What's maddening is that while the artists are talented, acts that are equally impressive can be seen in other circuses (such as Circus Oz) for about a fraction of the price. 

The aerial acts were of excellent quality, but from there the production fell down a dark chasm when it came to other elements. The choreography is hilariously bad. The cast are forced to scamper and plod across the stage waving their asses around, flopping their limbs in various directions and prancing all over the place. I genuinely can not comprehend what I saw, considering that the director is also a choreographer. It's just inconsiderable that such a prolific figure like Colker could create such shit that results in a hybrid of a pre-school nativity production and the Macarena. The integration of choreography into the acts was pretty much non-existent, and when it was there it was a disaster and I felt was embarrassed for the artists.

Gringo Cardia's set was somewhat inspired when it comes to the design of the spider webs, and there are these two gigantic flowers which bloom on stage during acts but then disappear and do nothing. Eric Champoux's lighting wasn't anything notable and added nothing special to the overall look of the show. It looked nice in some scenes but whenever the act needed a more sophisticated set up it just seemed to not do anything special. The costumes are clunky and the inspiration of the insects was taken way too literally. Unlike Cirque's usual esoteric and abstract approaches to costumes, such as the exquisite appropriation of Oriental designs in KÀ (2004) or the Gypsy inspired costumes of Varekai (2001), Ovo's interpretation of insects is far too literal. Liz Vandal's variegated designs are too outlandish, merging together the emphasised grotesque features of insects with a bombastic pallet of colours. If you're irrationally impressed with costumes that smash a bunch of colours together and call it art, then hop aboard the bullshit-mobile!

Berna Cepas music (?) is hands down the most disappointing and worst aspect of the show. The idiosyncrasies of Cirque's music, which include a level of complexity comprised of memorable tunes, exquisite and ethereal lyrics, and the amalgamation of different musical genres from around the world, are all absent from Ovo's score. Cirque invited me to review the soundtrack for Ovo in 2010, and criticisms were met by this response from the composer:

Sebastian Savard plays the violin in Ovo. The band are dressed as
cockroaches. Not sure what the message here is
- the music never dies? [Source:  All Things String].

“My goal, in essence, is to improvise musical mechanisms. My juxtaposition is the only one of its kind, due in part to the inclusion of highly-intellectual movement-commissions, with a hint of so-called 'pitch-solos'. I never sense styles, despite the fact that any pattern or performance can be, and has been interpreted as a rather dodecaphonically-melodic set of 'resonance-rhythms'. Except in rare cases (for example, when you are morphing a particularly neo-Romantic set of interactions), contemporary composers of 'triad-music' should avoid the use of themes. Unlike traditional orchestrations, I aim to develop conflicts, including a highly tonal vision that recontextualises all notions of similar fanfares.” - Berna Ceppas (via 'alibaba', The Cirque Tribune 2011)

From the ashes of that self-indulgent wank comes a soundscape that consists of annoying, skittering rhythms and snoozy tunes that resemble generic Brazilian chill elevator drones, played on dreadful synths that sounded as though they were summoned directly out of the 80s. In essence the songs sounded like a mixture of 'Girl from Impanima' and the soundtrack of 'Virtual Street Fighter', and ultimately it resembles a prehistoric homage to Barry Manilow's 'Copacobana'. In terms of composition, the score is very pedestrian, with the compositions settling on an unfulfilling melody or hook which repeats over and over, never evolving or developing any kind of climax. I sympathise for the musicians (who are, as usual, of world-class quality), trying to make the best of their shitty material while being dressed up in disgusting outfits that I suppose represent cockroaches. Singer Marie-Claude Marchand has a gorgeous crooning voice but she is under-utilised, and when used there's nothing of substance. The lyrics are insipid and could have been written by five year-olds. The main libretto of the show is the enigmatic “blarbarlagrgabaga”, “zoo zoo zoo zoo zum” and “I love you” which seem to be uttered on every vocal interjection, but alternating between 849037 different languages. Although it could be argued that the dreadful music accompanies the boring staging of the acts appropriately, the music served purely as background music and does not engage or stimulate as a stand alone product.

Despite what most audiences think, merely performing a sequence of tricks does not warrant a good Cirque du Soleil act. Although almost all the acts within the show are technically proficient, in terms of its value as a theatrical work Ovo is nothing. It lacks any thought out presentation in terms of how the act is integrated into the mise-en-scène and it's just a selection of circus acts. The core flaw of Ovo is that there is no point to the show. There is no subtext, underlying message or moral to take away after the performance – the show merely entertains its audience for the duration and has no effect beyond. Consequentially, Ovo can be summed up as people in bug costumes doing tricks. The casual consumer may claim that the extra theatrical elements are unnecessary when it comes to Cirque du Soleil since they're primarily interested in acrobatics, but that's an oxymoron because the reason that Cirque is distinguished from other circuses is because of their initial avant-garde approach to fuse the circus with theatre. Cirque, under their initial direction of Franco Dragone, completely repositioned the presentation of circus through the fusing of vividly illustrated stories into a series of feats. This character-driven, story based theatrical approach warranted Cirque's gradual escalation of ticket price into the hundreds of dollars, despite other circuses offering a similar level of athletic finesse – this was the unique appeal that enticed audiences. To forgive Ovo for omitting the key aspects that distinguish Cirque du Soleil from the rest of the world is not acceptable since Cirque du Soleil productions are not renown for shoving a bunch of acts on stage and labelling it a theatrical experience. But that's all Ovo is - a sequence of acts that thoroughly entertain the audience through skill but lack any artistic and theatrical value.

Wacky colours and 'family fun' excuse Ovo from
 failing in every other aspect theatrically [Source: About.com].

In the end any criticism to Ovo is irrelevant, because the majority of consumers are only interested in the acrobatic value of the performance. I tear violently at my hair when audiences disregard the theatrical element and just associate the complete Cirque du Soleil experience as people in CRAZY COSTUMES performing WICKED FLIPS N SHIT!, but Ovo regrettably just solidifies this dismal interpretation of the brand. My thoughts go out to the wonderfully talented crew that have to withstand this obscure, shallow, and stupid material every day. While it maintains Cirque's image as an acrobatic superpower, in terms of theatre Ovo is garbage. Although I have no doubt that audiences will say they enjoy Ovo over shows such as Quidam (1996) and Alegría (1994) because it's more 'fun' and 'less serious', it falls short of the Cirque du Soleil greats, and will never compare to the company's best works or considered a notable theatre experience. It omits the key elements that make a good Cirque show, including stimulating music, engaging theatricality, proper choreography and the whole overall aesthetic. It sorely lacks the wonderful, surrealistic imagery that Cirque is renown for and is not something I would ever recommend anyone seeing, especially at the ludicrously expensive prices that Cirque demand.

You can't just stick an egg on stage and call it Cirque du Soleil, but that's exactly what's happened. Ovo is painfully uninspired, a generic and substandard manufactured show which draws its success out of the image of being 'family fun' – and, somehow, that makes it okay for it to be an artistic failure on every other element to the production. I blame the creative team under the woeful (or non-existent) direction of Colker, who clearly either did not understand or did not care what a true Cirque du Soleil show is comprised of.

I don't have a problem with people enjoying Ovo, and if it gets people more interested in Cirque, then I guess it's done some good. What I can't stand is people claiming that this production is a good example of a Cirque du Soleil show, or a good piece of theatre. Ovo will not create discussion or inspire change. It is not innovative, it is not special, and it is not deserving of being associated with Cirque du Soleil. The greatest mentor I've known told me that the best theatre is an experience that creates and poses the questions – Ovo does nothing of the sort, and is just a gigantic theatrical failure.

Tickets for Cirque du Soleil's Ovo range from $79-$410, and is showing until September 2nd. Duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes (including a 20 minute intermission). Book by visiting the Ovo Official Website or through Ticketmaster. Children under 2 are admitted free.

Head Over Heels in Love - Casus' Knee Deep

Romancing the egg (Source: ACPTA)

Casus' debut production Knee Deep is jaw-droppingly fucking unbelievable! Knee Deep is an intimate show that highlights the wonderful versatility and resilience of the human body . . . words don't do justice, I really recommend seeing it.

Knee Deep is an erotic and evocative experience where the cast storm the stage with an ineffable exuberance. The troupe, made up of unusually attractive circus artists Jessie Scott, Natano Fa’anana, Emma Serjeant, and Lachlan McAulay, are a delight to watch, oozing with sensuality and sharing an incredible chemistry and sensitivity between each other. Their raw emotion on stage is conveyed through movements and interactions of staggering grace and dexterity, and the performance is nothing short of inspirational.

There are so many incredible moments in the piece!! The artists perform hula hoops, aerial silks, hand-balancing on canes, trapeze, and much more, all complimented by incredibly poetic choreography in movement and dance. Almost every section was a crowd pleaser, although the audience seemed to spend most of the time so enthralled that it seemed inappropriate to act. Throughout the piece there are these interludes where the artists move in an elaborate Pas de Deuxs - they vary in being cheeky, erotic and beautiful. McAulay and Serjeant perform just prior to the hand balancing act, and that was absolutely my favourite moment of the entire night.

Attractive performers . . .  no joke
(Source: Concrete Playground)

The circus feats are all performed with meticulous proficiency, although I'd rather a bit less variety and instead seen an elaboration on other acts. The only thing that made me cringe (and people around me gag) was tapping the nail up the nose. There's some disgusting fascination behind it but the segment is pretty quick and doesn't really do much other than ruin the poetic flow.

The soundtrack, assembled by Tim Lamacraft, is pretty erratic, and the mixing is a little aggressive and jarring but I think that's just from the venue. I don't think it was an original score, but it brings on various elements of world music, utilising primal rhythms to French ballads to produce a non-descript, extremely fitting and pleasant soundscape. The set is very minimal as is the lighting, which provides an emphasis to the movement on stage through a simplistic use of washes, small spotting and shadows. Live video projection is also used, although not to a great extent until a paper crane the size of a thumbnail is assembled in front of our eyes. It's such a magical experience and I was wishing I had my own to take home after the show.

Knee Deep is unbelievably magical and I'm totally enchanted by Casus. Such a stunning, honest and fluid performance with incredibly talented and versatile artists - skip the riffraff of circus and experience this truly engaging and special piece.

Tickets for Casus' 'Knee Deep' are $18-$28, and is showing at Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts until June 9th. Duration of approximately 60 minutes. Book by visiting Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts' website.

Cirque du Soleil unveils Amaluna

While I knew the newest Cirque du Soleil show was going to be called Amaluna (the name was trademarked last October), it was still a thrill for the show to be announced last Monday. Amaluna by Cirque du Soleil will open this April under the direction of Diane Paulus, and will revolve around the themes of femininity.

Amaluna director Diane Paulus.

Amalauna (a word which amalgams the Latin word for mother 'Ama' and the general word for moon 'Luna') is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, in addition to drawing upon influences of. The titular location is an exotic island which is inhabited by the powerful sorceress Prospera (played by the fabulous Julie Andrea McInnes), who has invited the goddesses of the world to join with her in a ceremony which will celebrate her daughter's ascension to womanhood. The ceremony involves Prospera conjuring a gargantuan tempest, which coincidentally ensnares a passing ship in the ocean's currents and causes it to crash on the island. It's love at first sight when a handsome young sailor among the crew falls head-over-heels in love with Prospera's daughter, who returns his affections. Once the couple surrender to their emotions and conquer their obstacles, the inhabitants of the island led by Prospera hold a celebration for their love and her daughter's rise to womanhood.

I didn't really handle it well when I first heard the vague briefing back in August. When I first heard the theme was revolving around women power and to be based on The Tempest, I was pretty distressed. It was around August last year (the same day I saw Sarah Winter's incredible Scratch piece) I spent a good hour clawing at my face and walked around the rest of the afternoon with my fists clenched - when I ran into David Berthold he tried to shake my hand and I had to refuse since I said my hands were all sweaty. He probably thought I'd been masturbating or something. Anyway, my initial reaction has pretty much totally faded away and I am confident this is going to be a fantastic production.

A rendering of the Amaluna set design from Scott Pask.

Diane Paulus has an impressive resume track record of working in real theatre. Some of her most notable pieces in her career include the 2009 revival of Hair, which was awarded the Tony for Best Musical Revival, and last year she directed Canadian Opera's new production of The Magic Flute.  She has most recently risen to public attention through her controversial adaptation of Porgy and Bess, which opened in New York earlier this month. Although the production is provoking mixed reactions, I am thrilled that Cirque has made the choice to employ a director who is not afraid to take bold decisions and directions, to hopefully break them out of their formulaic and lacklustre era. Paulus' random approach might blow up in their face, but she is not some random choreographer, a defunct clown, or a figure who has no association with theatre. She is a qualified, experienced theatre director. Because of Paulus' leadership, in addition to her husband Randy Weiner seving as a dramaturge, this work will focus on the theatrical elements of Cirque du Soleil. Interestingly, Paulus and Weiner staged a rock opera adaptation of The Tempest a few years back (Cirque's website neglects to mention this anywhere in their theatre credits). I was a little put out that the concept wasn't entirely original, but I'm a fan of creative development, and hopefully Paulus will draw upon the successes and failures of their last production to ensure that this one works.

The rest of the creation team generally sound quite promising. World renowned and long-term collaborator Debra Brown returns to work her magic on choreography, and Mérédith Caron returns to Cirque for a second time after Believe in 2009 to work with her magic on costumes. Tony award winner Scott Pask is working on the set design, which looks amazing with the utilization of plants and other foliage to decorate and transform the chapiteau. Originally to be led by French-Canadian world vocalist Nitza Melas, the creators I'm most uneasy on is the return of Bob and Bill. The Canadian duo are composers who have worked for Cirque on several projects, including being the composers on Robert Lepage's 2010 production of Totem. Their music is fine and appropriate but lacks the power and grandeur of previous Cirque scores. Hopefully they will really utilize their fantastic singers and pump out some great anthems for this show - this sneak peek of the material at Cirque Week 2011 sounds promising, although the promo on the official website sounds like it was written for Ruben Guthrie.

Acts that are billed to appear so far are Aerial Hoops (featuring Cirque veteran Marie-Michelle Faber), High Bar, Aerial Straps, and a new dicipline will join Cirque when Lara Jacobs from Rigolo Nouveau Cirque will perform her Rigolos Sanddorn Balance act.

What excites me most about Amaluna is that it will most likely return Cirque to its real roots. Not their tacky original image of circus driven by people who perform tricks, but their amalgam of avant-garde theatrical elements with incredible acrobatic feats. It's very early to make any real calls on the quality of Amaluna, but the website launch and press release earlier this week are good signs. The aesthetic on the website is gorgeous. The combination of colours rarely gets pulled off properly since pink and blue are usually hideous, but it seems to be used in appropriate proportions here to make a really interesting, contrasting design.

Despite what most audiences think, merely performing a sequence of tricks does not warrant a good Cirque du Soleil act. Although almost all the acts within the show are technically proficient, in terms of its value as a theatrical work most of Cirque du Soleil's recent offerings have been severely lacking. Hopefully under Paulus' direction Cirque will be able to reconnect with the image that distinguished them as an entertainment empire of the highest quality.

I'm really hoping that this production will be excellent. The synopsis and premise sounds whimsical, the show will have phenomenal artists appearing in it and the creation is being handled by people who are experienced in creating theatre. I'm hoping that the show won't flop like Zarkana, which looked fantastic then tried to shit on New York (which thankfully saw through it). I guess we'll have to wait for the show's premier in April.

Amaluna by Cirque du Soleil opens in Montreal on April 19th. Tickets range from $40 to $139.50. Book by visiting Cirque du Soleil's official website or by calling 1-800-450-1480.

Saltimbanco in Brisbane

I have no idea why he's in the artwork.

On Friday (8/7/11) I took Rhed along to see Saltimbanco at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Seeing as Cirque du Soleil only tours here every other year, and I'd already seen Saltimbanco last year in Germany, it was a little disappointing that they were sending us Saltimbanco again. It toured the Asia Pacific area back in 1999, and although it's being doted as the show that started Australia's love of Cirque, it's not even touring in the tent this year. Still, we're not America - we don't have five troupes trotting over the continent at once, so I'll take whatever Cirque I can get. I was glad to take Rhed to see a real show though, and of course, it did not disappoint.  

Saltimbanco is a feast of entertainment. Clearly there wasn't enough colour in the '80s, because the show was concieved by master director Franco Dragone as an antidote to the ridiculous doom and gloom of that the '90s were bringing us.  Saltimbanco is bursting with colour and brimming with excitement. While I think the colours of the show are starting to look out of date, the charm of the show is still felt since you are fully hooked when you sit down to watch the show. Likewise, the music is drenched with synthesisers (as is Dupéré's signature on his music) but it's not quite out of date since the vibrant band rock the fuck out on stage like it's no one's business, and at their helm was the ferocious, firey and powerful BEAST that is Nicola Dawn, who rips through the music with so much passion that makes your skin crawl. The BCE is an okay venue - Rhed and I were sitting a lot closer than I expected, so with a large focus on the stage I managed to mostly forget... but I couldn't fully forget that we weren't sitting in the signature magical Cirque du Soleil tent, we were indeed in an arena.

The Saltimbanco Arena Cast (2008).

Anyway, all that aside, Saltimbanco has a (mostly) great first act. The opening is a little underwhelming but the music is beautiful and the lead into the Adagio Trio is indeed charming. I was glad to see the act because I missed it in Bremen, although it was slightly lacklustre because if you're not sitting in the audience, you don't get much of a view of what they're doing. The act was followed by the Chinese Poles, which was excellent. The booming bass and imposing strings get the boil pumping and people are ridiculously strong - it was one of my favourite acts of the night. Martin Pons' portrayal of Edi was really annoying in the first act. There were just too many juvenile jokes crammed in with a scenario where he drowns in a toilet, which I guiltily admitted was the most satisfying part of his act. He picks up in the next act though, and I can forgive him as we're not in the intimate space of a Chapiteau, we're in a huge arena. The next was the Artistic Bicycle - let me tell you right now, there is nothing artistic about it. I didn't enjoy it in Bremen, and I didn't enjoy it in Brisbane, it's just stupid. Since it was the opening night we had the pleasure of seeing the Handbalancing on Canes, which was performed by the screamingly flexible Ariunsanaa Bataa. I was literally seething with pain, emitting guttural noises out of my mouth, since she was performing the most extreme and painful looking contortion I'd ever seen in my life. She actually clamps her teeth on a stand and it looks like she's going to snap her body in half. Fucking bow down to the queen of contortion! The act was followed by juggling who dropped it a few times, my opinion on the act was exactly the same as Bremen, but he's very skilled and it was a crowd pleaser.

"Hey Nicola, can I have a high five?" "Sure LOL jk/s PSYCH!"

Act One should end there, because Boleadoras is the worst act in the world. I'd rather watch QTC's production of King Lear again than watch that 11 minute fiasco. You think it's almost finished at 6 minutes, but I rolled over to Rhed and said "BUT THERE'S MORE!!".  I'm honestly not sure why it's in the show, but Rhed pointed out it would be excellent if you were tripping out on the shrooms.

That's pretty much the whole act.

Act Two opens with Cirque's grooviest music, and the artists swarm on stage in a symphony of colours to perform the Russian Swing. The artists were having a great time, there were gasps of astonishment and admiration from the audience, and I was just smiling the whole time. Segue into my favourite act of the night, the ladies who fly with ease from the flying trapeze. Accompanied by the chilling and powerful score, they bend through the air, tossing and catching each other with their feet. A chorus of squeals came from the girls sitting behind us as the artists remove the safety padding from the stage.   Edi joins the stage but it wasn't painfuil this time - his skits involving the audience member were electric and everyone around me was laughing (including the angry couple sitting next to me). The interactions with the lovely James Clowney (who I also saw in Bremen) were really funny, and while we're on the subject of actors, Gerard Theoret who has just stepped in this year as The Baron was magical (his Rideau was perfection). Hand to Hand has music that is dreadfully dull (although somehow better than the Artistic Bicycle), and although artistically and aesthetically inferior to both Zed and Quidam, the act is undoubtedly impressive with the physical moves of the two unusually muscled men who are clad in tight green overalls. The closing act is one of impeccable beauty, with Nicola performing an aria while the Bungees glide up and down like angels while their elaborate movements are symmetrically mirrored or performed in a sequence with the other artists. The second act just eclipsed the first one, and was the most fun I've ever had at a Cirque du Soleil production.

Come and see Saltimbanco - my nose and I will be waiting for you.

Seeing as the ticket price has bled me dry I can't afford to go again (and catch the new singer, Charlie Jones, who's from NSW), but if I did have the cash I would. Saltimbanco is a wonderful Cirque du Soleil production, with amazing acrobatics, mostly excellent music, and wonderful performers. Although it's not shown in its grandeur in the Grand Chapiteau, it's a classic Cirque du Soleil show that doesn't try and put eggs on stage and call it art. Which is what Australia will be watching exactly one year from now, so expose yourself to the good shows while you've got a chance.

Tickets for Cirque du Soleil's 'Saltimbanco' range from $79-$325, and is showing until July 17th. Book by visiting Ticketek or by calling (07) 3265 8447. Children under 2 are admitted free, but if you bring a baby into a show and it starts crying people will hurt you. That's why God invented McDonalds.