CMU School of Drama


Friday, September 05, 2008

He's riding high with Cirque du Soleil

The Boston Globe: "Dorchester native David Shiner went back to basics to create Cirque du Soleil's latest show, 'KOOZA,' which opens today under the Grand Chapiteau at the Bayside Expo Center. But of course, when you're dealing with the stylized and often otherworldly look of Cirque du Soleil, 'basic' is a relative term."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

i dont know if i like the idea of cirque going back to more traditional circus techniques. i think it could either work out really well or really horribly. it could really ruin the impression some people get from cirque. i know that in my mind when i think of cirque i remember the first scene of cirque i ever saw that really stuck with me which was a scene of parents and a child in a living room set floating above my head. i remember the animals and clowns from that show in disdain for distracting me from the characters in the sky. i hope the more normal circus elements dont ruin the unique cirque-ness of the show.

AllisonWeston said...

I think the idea of Cirque trying a more traditional approach "Kooza" is a risky choice, but a good one. Often in Cirque shows I am distracted by the elaborate sets and intricate storylines. I do not believe that Cirque will lose its unique quality.
This is not imitation of an outdated circus era, but rather a initiative to look at the performance medium through a different lens.

AndrewLeitch said...

This is a good move for CIRQUE, I think. The shows will probably be more accessible to a different audience than CIRQUE is used to, which is exciting. I still look to CIRQUE for a breathtaking spectacle of a show with an intricate story line to coincide its unique circus acts; but, I think they've got enough shows out that demonstrate that and this can't really hurt them.

Kelli Sinclair said...

The basic ingredigents for any Cirque du Soleil show are the amazing acrobatic and circus skills that these performers can do. Without them we would just be left with technology and a grand blown up set. The more Circue du Soleil there are the more they try to push the techonolgy and effects. But at some point technology starts to distract from the beautiful and mindblowing skills these artists have.

dmxwidget said...

Having had the chance to see this in Chicago, I am able to now realize why they had such specific acts in the show. Going to see it was a great experience because you were in an actual bigtop and it truly looked like a traditional circus. All of the focus was towards the performers. The technical elements were there, but everything was very subtle and kept to only the important elements.

Chris said...

First, let us be clear that I love Cirque. I think that they have taken an art form and stretched it further than anyone could have imagined.

I think that the idea of going "back to the basics" is a brilliant idea because it would be more than a simple carnival circus, the audience would be participating in an interpretation of this circus seen through the lens of the fine arts.