Thursday, October 14, 2021
Japan’s all new circus team ‘CIRQUEWORK’ debuts in Tokyo this month
Japan Today: If you’ve ever been lucky enough to witness the amazing acts of a Cirque du Soleil stage performance, then I envy you. The entertainment company travels the world, mesmerising audiences in more than 400 cities across 60 countries. With performances of such high stakes, it can be quite the challenge to get your hands on tickets.
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I have always enjoyed any Cirque du Soleil show I have been able to see. While I am not the biggest fan of "tradition" theater, that is to say traditional plays for the most part, I have always been interested in the higher paced, upbeat, theater adjacent performances. Things like Cirque, concerts, traditional cirques and more like that have always been able to engage me and wow me on a level traditional shows never could. I knew Asia had begun to have their versions of these shows for a while now, however, this is the first time I have seen anything official or on paper. Japan's new show "CIRQUEWORK" seems pretty much like a Cirque look a like. The article even says, "If you like to observe the true limits of the human body, determination and mind, then read on to find out what this night of performances will bring," which sounds exactly how most would describe Cirque.
I have seen quite a few of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, Nevada and to this day they remain some of my favorite live entertainment performances. They are far from what one would describe traditional theatre to be like, full of high intensity acrobatics and impressively dangerous stunts, and are always so incredibly captivating. So reading about this up and coming Japanese circus makes me really excited to keep up with their progress and journey; their creative focus on bringing together both domestic and international artists in this space of unconventional performance is very compelling. Their intensive integration of more modern technological aspects such as lighting and video production also brings a fresh perspective on the world of the circus, as it is something that wasn’t as focused on in many Cirque du Soleil productions. However, CIRQUEWORK does share similarity with Cirque du Soleil’s consistent theme of “transporting” the audience to another realm/world.
Let me get this straight– CIRQUEWORK is not Cirque du Soleil? From reading this article I can’t help but analyze the intersection between both companies’ works of theatrical genius. Being someone Connie Sceaphierde would envy for having witnessed a few of the infamous Cirque du Soleil productions, I can (with all certainty) attest to their spectacular nature. As is described in the article in relation to this particular CIRQUEWORK production, non-traditional works of theatre tend to have an element of “transporting the audience to a magical world where they can forget about reality and time.” I recall an instance in Cirque du Soleil’s “O” (Las Vegas, Nevada) in which the scene showcased both a pool of siren-like creatures making their way downstage while at the same time featuring an Oompa-Loompa-like character floating on a harness above them. Not only is that a postal image I will never forget, but I would argue it was at that moment when (believe it or not) I decided I would be doing theatre for the rest of my life.
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