Cirque Du Soleil’s latest extravaganza, OVO, injects you with the sudden desire to rush out and purchase a gymnast trampoline, become a body contortionist or even foot-juggle kiwi fruit in perfect unison with a friendly juggling ensemble.
The performance celebrates the Brazilian festivale theme with samba music egging on the acrobatic insects and feline creatures who flip, twist and writhe around the stage. No wonder since Deborah Colker, Brazilian dancer, choreographer, writer and theatre director is behind much of this amazing performance.
The production is testimony to her primary desire to revive the street art style of entertainment for which Cirque du Soleil was originally known. Most of the performers began as street artists who were recruited by Cirque du Soleil, imbibing the circus with a rich unique mosaic of talents.
To add a bit more spice to this microcosmic tale of hyperactive cats, crickets, beetles and cockroaches, a love story unfolds between a voluptuous lady beetle and a foreign fly. The drama adds comic relief to the otherwise heart-stopping, adrenalin-fuelled action. Chortles and snorts ripple across the audience at the hilarious interactions between the two, as they struggle to reach equilibrium via squeaky communication and crazy Master Flipo’s love advice.
The storyline is very funny, the technical performances are astonishing and the music is catchy. But the costumes are outstanding; OVO’s costume designer Liz Vandal clearly immersed herself in the world of insects to dream up such a heady array of designs.
Echoing the fantastically playful style of The Lion King’s Julie Taymor, each outfit is awe-inspiring and imaginative: the slinky cats with their tufts of fur, the crickets with their extended tendons, the bright gold trapeze beetle-men that dazzle all. In their tight body suits with their gold Hermes wings ablaze, the beetles bounce, loop and fly towards each other, quickly landing and adopting their gladiator stances on elevated platforms.
It is truly a world of insect mania.
I highly recommend seeing Cirque du Soleil’s OVO during its Australian tour, although my recommndation comes with a warning: you may discover an unchartered desire to become a body contortionist, a foot juggler or bubble-squeak language translator.
Catch Cirque du Soleil’s OVO under the blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney until November 25, in Adelaide from December 6, in Melbourne from January 17, 2013 and in Perth from April 14, 2013. More information at http://www.cirquedusoleil.com
