Whatever...Wherever
Author: Pat Launer
In case you hadn't read or heard, "Varekai" means Wherever (in the Romany
language of the wandering gypsies). It's an imaginary land where anything seems
to be possible. And that pretty much describes Cirque du Soleil, too. Gravity is
defied, bodies bend and stretch in ways they weren't meant to.
Varekai
is a magical world populated by fantastical creatures in spectacularly
imaginative costumes. A young man (a New Age Icarus) parachutes down into a
forest where he wanders and learns and tries once again to take flight. But
plotline isn't the driving force of any Cirque production. It's all about the
acts.
"Varekai"
is a tad more comprehensible than the recent "Dralion," a monstrous hodgepodge
of styles, stories and creatures. Even here, the narrative is sometimes a
distraction, but it allows characters to make a return appearance, most
spectacularly, Anton Chelnokov as Icare (Icarus) who spins gorgeously in
mid-air, most gloriously while entwining himself in a net. Speaking of nets,
there aren't any below, and that makes me nervous (it also makes me wonder,
since most modern circuses are more assiduous about safety). At the end,
Chelnikov is joined by his astonishing countrywoman Irina Naumenko, who
handbalances on canes. She's the one I referred to when it comes to bodies that
twist and curve in unnatural ways. I could swear she doesn't have a bone in her
back, the way it bends.
And
not only canes; one of the more surprising acts is that of Dergin Tokmak, a
German acrobat who balances on hand-crutches. He seems to be disabled, with legs
that swing about like weightless straw limbs. Amazing in itself, but especially
in a group that travels the world to seek out perfection. Here is someone unlike
those often indentured slaves (such as the Elephant Man and the Venus Hottentot)
in the old side shows, being displayed because of their disabilities or
infirmities. This guy has made hay of his therapeutic intervention; he should be
a poster child for physical therapy and rehab. His skill on those baby blue
crutches is incredible.
Then
there's the group of Soviet bloc acrobats who, propelled by swings, are hurled
into their air, falling on their partners' crossed wrists! Or, how about that
Body Skating, where a multinational troupe slides on a fabric surface with
amazing grace; or the Water Meteors, three young Chinese acrobats (accent on the
young) who whirl ropes weighted with metal meteors, like Argentine
bolas. What I want to know is -- who comes up with these acts??
One
thing I did learn is that there's only one cast for each show -- and right now,
there are nine different Cirque du Soleil productions, some on tour and some
'sitting' (like 'O' at the Bellagio and the new 'Zumanity' at New York-New
York). The order of acts may change
at any time, depending on injuries or illness (for more detail on the Cirque,
see my interview on Full Focus, time and date below).
In
each Cirque show, the special effects are awe-inspiring, the costumes are
breathtaking. The characters speak an invented language, which is pretty amusing
at times (more so than the clowns, I'd say). Overall, there's plenty of
eye-popping, jaw-dropping action for all.
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