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July 30, 2010
Need to see it to believe it
Koozå exhilarates with acrobatics under Grand Chapiteau.
BASYA LAYE
Koozå, the latest offering in the Cirque du Soleil global franchise, is a bold, dizzying, exhilarating experience. Billed as a “return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil,” Koozå showcases two traditional circus arts – clowning and acrobatics – electrifying its audience with time-honored acts as well as some new acts that have never before been seen by audiences.
Performing under the Grand Chapiteau tent at Concord Place, just northwest of Science World, Koozå takes its name from the Sanskrit word koza meaning “box” or “treasure.” Promotional materials state that the name was chosen to reflect the idea of a “circus in a box” and, indeed, at the opening of the show, an entire dreamscape emerges from a treasure box, unconcerned with the constraints of physical space. When the Trickster is released from this box, the audience and the Innocent are pulled into a world of zaniness and fierce physical thrills.
Certainly, all the acrobatics are magnificent and awe-inspiring, but the bulk of the oohs and aahs, gasps and claps, were reserved for the aptly named Wheel of Death (which must be seen to be believed), the single female contortionist (somebody give that woman an X-ray ... I’m convinced she’s been deboned!) and a group high- wire act, featuring bicycles and beefy male tightrope walkers skipping their way across the abyss.
While the acrobatics part of the show was satisfying and exhilarating, the clowning acts left a little to be desired, focusing on the bawdy and the overtly vulgar. I longed for more slapstick and the “on-color” jokes that I thought would follow the apparently asexual acrobatic episodes. Overall, the clowning took away from the breathtaking spectacle of the acrobatics, but the comic breaks – some of which were, at least, silly-funny – were absolutely necessary. How can anyone sustain the wonder, much less the anxiety, of watching human beings audaciously fly through space and defy the constraints of the physical body, without relief? A small dose of the clowns’ naughty humor might have sufficed and, by the end of the production, I had become slightly annoyed at what had become an unwelcome interruption.
The costumes and makeup are great fun, the lighting spot-on and the Koozå set is visually stunning. Cirque du Soleil prides itself on its live musical accompaniment, and the music of Koozå didn’t fail to lift audience spirits to match the grand heights of the Big Top.
Cirque has its headquarters in Montreal and has more than 5,000 employees and artists from more than 40 countries. At any given time, Cirque is presenting different shows all over the world and right now is performing in Vancouver, London, Santiago, Boston and Oostende, Belgium, among other cities on various continents. Apparently, Cirque du Soleil has brought “wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in over 250 cities on five continents,” which is cause for respect. That there are so many human beings who can perform this way night-after-night, day-after-day, while traveling the world for extended periods is almost unbelievable.
Koozå is the result of a team of 13 creators and 53 performing artists. Two weeks of shows have already been added and Koozå now will be under the blue and yellow Big Top until Sunday, Sept. 5, Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. There are no performances on Mondays. To purchase tickets ($35-$255), visit cirquedusoleil.com/kooza or call 1-800-450-1480. VIP tickets are available, allowing access to the Tapis Rouge Suite and the best seats in the house.
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