At the Circus
It’s one of the perks of being a member of Goodenough College – access to a permanent box at the Royal Albert Hall. And I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a pair of tickets to a performance this evening of Alegria by Cirque du Soleil.
This ranks as my second outing to the Cirque. The first was to a production of Dralion some four or five years back in Baltimore, where I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Cirque du Soleil, of course, is more than a human circus. They’re a massive commercial enterprise, with concurrent performances all over the world. This BusinessWeek article sheds some light on the figures involved.
But enough of commerce. What about the artistry? Alegria forms one of Cirque du Soleil’s more established works, with its own distinctive choreography and music. And like all Cirque productions, there’s a unifying theme that links the individual items together – that of power, and its use and misuse. We see kings and courtiers and nymphets. But were it not for a quick trawl throught the Net, I wouldn’t have known about the storyline. It’s not readily apparent nor entirely consequential.
That did not detract, therefore, from what we saw. Superhuman handstands, amazing acrobatics, synchronized tumbling, gripping fire twirling, plus two girls with contorted rubber bodies. As someone who once was laid up in hospital with a ruptured spinal disk, I had to grit my teeth looking at them as their limbs entwined.
Perhaps the Albert Hall wasn’t the best venue for the Cirque. It’s obviously not purpose-built, and lacked a certain intimacy, especially when it came to the clowning moments. But the production overall was smooth, professional and polished. You can't get a more ready example demonstrating the commodification of culture.
A quick mention, as well, of Spago, where we had our pre-show dinner. It’s a charming little Italian restaurant on Glendower Street, barely two minutes from South Kensington station. The area around Old Brompton Road’s certainly rich with culinary offerings. Spago had a wide pizza selection, but I couldn’t resist the seafood linguine. And it proved to be the start to a most delightful evening.
This ranks as my second outing to the Cirque. The first was to a production of Dralion some four or five years back in Baltimore, where I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Cirque du Soleil, of course, is more than a human circus. They’re a massive commercial enterprise, with concurrent performances all over the world. This BusinessWeek article sheds some light on the figures involved.
But enough of commerce. What about the artistry? Alegria forms one of Cirque du Soleil’s more established works, with its own distinctive choreography and music. And like all Cirque productions, there’s a unifying theme that links the individual items together – that of power, and its use and misuse. We see kings and courtiers and nymphets. But were it not for a quick trawl throught the Net, I wouldn’t have known about the storyline. It’s not readily apparent nor entirely consequential.
That did not detract, therefore, from what we saw. Superhuman handstands, amazing acrobatics, synchronized tumbling, gripping fire twirling, plus two girls with contorted rubber bodies. As someone who once was laid up in hospital with a ruptured spinal disk, I had to grit my teeth looking at them as their limbs entwined.
Perhaps the Albert Hall wasn’t the best venue for the Cirque. It’s obviously not purpose-built, and lacked a certain intimacy, especially when it came to the clowning moments. But the production overall was smooth, professional and polished. You can't get a more ready example demonstrating the commodification of culture.
A quick mention, as well, of Spago, where we had our pre-show dinner. It’s a charming little Italian restaurant on Glendower Street, barely two minutes from South Kensington station. The area around Old Brompton Road’s certainly rich with culinary offerings. Spago had a wide pizza selection, but I couldn’t resist the seafood linguine. And it proved to be the start to a most delightful evening.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home