This is only the second Cirque du Soleil show I've seen (I saw Saltimbanco live last year and also bought the DVD, which I was impressed with). Maybe I don't have enough experience with Cirque to be qualified to express an informed opinion, but this did seem cobbled together.
I in no way intend to minimize or trivialize the performers themselves: all are top-notch, and some of the performances are breathtaking. That huge gizmo with the circling barrels... darn, I have no idea what to call it or even what show it's from... it's impressive enough when the artists are running and jumping around inside the rotating cylinders, but then one of them hops right out and not only runs around the OUTSIDE of the thing, he runs on his HANDS as it flies through the air! Then he jump-ropes for a while! Man, if that rope caught on one of those moving parts, it would be Game Over. I don't know how he did it, but I do know that now the most amazing thing I've seen in a James Cameron film is NOT a special effect!
The 'story', such as it is, is a pseudo Alice In Wonderland setup where an earthly character gets lost in a weird world and tries to find her way out. I just wish she hadn't been lost quite so long with the Beatles... I'm not a fan. I would like to have heard and seen more from the Elvis show. I found the ending satisfying.
Worth a look for fans and the random curious, but I prefer Saltimbanco all in all.
I in no way intend to minimize or trivialize the performers themselves: all are top-notch, and some of the performances are breathtaking. That huge gizmo with the circling barrels... darn, I have no idea what to call it or even what show it's from... it's impressive enough when the artists are running and jumping around inside the rotating cylinders, but then one of them hops right out and not only runs around the OUTSIDE of the thing, he runs on his HANDS as it flies through the air! Then he jump-ropes for a while! Man, if that rope caught on one of those moving parts, it would be Game Over. I don't know how he did it, but I do know that now the most amazing thing I've seen in a James Cameron film is NOT a special effect!
The 'story', such as it is, is a pseudo Alice In Wonderland setup where an earthly character gets lost in a weird world and tries to find her way out. I just wish she hadn't been lost quite so long with the Beatles... I'm not a fan. I would like to have heard and seen more from the Elvis show. I found the ending satisfying.
Worth a look for fans and the random curious, but I prefer Saltimbanco all in all.