One of the best Cirques yet

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Cirque du Soleil’s most recent traveling creation, Amaluna, loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, is a storm of acrobatics that is barely contained within the Big Top at Concord Pacific Place. It is an energizing show that features an impressive range of talent, from acts that evoke involuntarily utterances of disbelief that human beings are capable of such physical feats to acts that render the audience speechless, in awe that human beings are capable of such physical feats.

As with all Cirque du Soleil shows, Amaluna begins before it begins, with cast members wandering through the aisles as the last ticketholders take their seats. On opening night, the main character of the lizard king Cali – played with wonderful mischievousness by beautifully makeuped (Eleni Uranis) and costumed (Mérédith Caron) Viktor Kee – roamed the audience stealing popcorn, eating it lizard-like and teasing the audience by tossing kernels about. Later in the production, Kee proves that he’s not just an agile actor, but a skilful juggler as well.

The action takes place on “a mysterious island governed by goddesses,” which is imaginatively brought to life by set and props designer Scott Pask. The main characters are Prospera, played with powerful presence by Julie McInnes, who also plays various instruments as part of the live, all-female band, whose edgy music (written by Bob and Bill) helps build the excitement and mark the denouements; her daughter, Miranda (Juliya Mikhailova), who falls in love with one of the sailors, Romeo (Suren Bozyan), who wash up on the shores after a storm caused by Prospera; the aforementioned Cali, who is in love with Miranda and tries to prevent her and Romeo from connecting; and Deeda (Pepa Plana), Miranda’s maidservant, and Jeeves (Nathalie Claude), Romeo’s “manservant,” the two clowns of the show, who happen to fall in love with each other. The island is also populated with Amazons and Valkyries, among others.

There are many highlights of this show. Its creators, led by director of creation Fernand Rainville and director Diane Paulus, have done an almost flawless job of making a production that holds the audience’s interest throughout, providing comic and artistic relief at just the right points so the audience doesn’t become exhausted from or immune to the incredible athletic acts. There is only one moment, in the second half, where the momentum is lost, the clowning of Deeda and Jeeves lasting too long, slowing the pace so much that it was surprising the show got back on track. A nice addition to clowning as a way of calming the inherent tension of a performance involving gymnasts flying through the air, riding unicycles, walking on tightropes, swinging on uneven bars, jumping off teeterboards, etc., was a few dance numbers, in this case featuring the gorgeously costumed character of the Peacock Goddess (Amy McClendon).

One aspect of Cirque du Soleil that cannot be understated is that, between the extravagant costumes and the sculpted bodies of the performers, there is a lot of eye candy. And, with so much going on, it is impossible to take in all that goes on in a show, which is likely why Cirque generally dispenses with any pretense of telling a coherent story or featuring music with words that mean anything, favoring a loosely connected narrative – Amaluna has more of a plotline than most other productions, not that it really matters – and nonsensical (or no) lyrics, allowing singers to belt out powerful lyrical melodies that bolster the dramatic effect.

One of the many highlights of Amaluna was the act called Icarian Games and Watermeteors, in which women are not only spun around by, leap and somersault off of their partners’ feet but also spin, throw and catch a rope with what looks like weights on each end while they’re doing so. The show’s website describes the act as a “classic circus arts number involving strength, precision timing and sheer acrobatic skill, as performers spin glowing watermeteors, take off from platforms of upturned feet, tumble above the ring then land – all in unison.” It was quite amazing, as was the “contortionist Ethel Merman in a waterbowl” act by Mikhailova (Miranda) and Lara Jacob’s Manipulation routine, which brought almost complete silence to the Big Top, only Jacob’s rhythmic breathing audible as she made a delicate bird-like floating structure from 13 palm leaf ribs that had been placed on the stage, picking up one rib at a time with her toes and balancing each upon the next, holding the structure with one hand as she used the other to carefully place the next rib. Add in acts where audience members can almost literally reach up and touch the foot of a Valkyrie flying past overhead, and there is much to recommend Amaluna.

Amaluna runs until Jan. 13, with two performances/day most days. Ticket prices range from $33 (child), to $143.50. For more information on Amaluna, to preview the show and buy tickets, visit cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/amaluna.

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