Cirque du Soleil is known for its artistic, visual and acrobatic extravaganzas, and its latest tent show, called “OVO,” adds a vivid new entry to the repertoire of the Québec-based performing arts company.
Opening night on January 20 under the yellow and blue big tent, or Grand Chapiteau, at the Santa Monica Pier was star-studded. Josh Brolin, Diane Lane, Hilary Swank, Heather Graham, Neil Patrick Harris and Ali Landry were among the audience of 2,600, eagerly awaiting the opening act as the lights came up to reveal a spectacular circular stage populated with unique, costumed characters.
Ovo means “egg” in Portugese, and a giant egg is the centerpiece of a vibrant world of insects that populate the production, which has already been seen in 15 North American cities by more than two million people. Santa Monica is its sole Southern California stop.
Grasshoppers, spiders, butterflies, ants—this show is about a troupe of bugs, centered around three lead characters: a ladybug, a buzzing fly and the wise elder of the entire crew, known as Master Flippo.
Their colorful ecosystem teems with activity as the characters crawl, flutter, play, fight, work, eat – and look for love.
When the mysterious egg appears in their midst, they are intensely curious and awestruck about what it represents, which is the cycles of their lives.
As the insects work to accept this mysterious intrusion into their lives, Cirque’s trademark acrobatic acts take the show to new heights. One of the highlights is the stunning flying trapeze act, where six performers fly 40 feet into the air. Another features 20 performers running, ricocheting off the trampoline floor and leaping up a 24 foot vertical wall.
But on the ground, the hardest-working insects in the community are the bright red ants, who perform synchronized dances with what appeared to be giant slices of kiwi and corn on the cob. It’s an entrancing way of playing with food.
And then there are the yellow and red fleas, whose agility allows them to fling themselves through the air and then come together in precise, structural formations.
The balletic butterflies were a revelation. A romantic male and female couple, they perform an awe-inspiring pas de deux on a rope that allows them to soar in perfect unison.
In another stunning aerial act, a group of scarabs soars high above the stage from both edges and then meticulously land on a high platform in the middle.
A dragonfly takes center stage with a graceful balancing act that takes inordinate control to switch off balancing his weight from one hand to the other while maintaining equilibrium–all while upside down on a piece of foliage.
Just when you think the acrobatics couldn’t get any more daring, a spider gives a tour de force performance that defies gravity, as he traverses a tightrope upside down on a unicycle.
The show has one intermission, and opening night featured trays filled with brightly colorful cupcakes with antennas that complemented the costumes and naturally, champagne to celebrate the premiere.
Ovo’s creative team includes Artistic Guides Guy Laliberte and Gilles Ste-Croix; Writer, Director, and Choreographer Deborah Colker, the first female director in Cirque history; Director of Creation, Chantal Tremblay; Sets and Props Designer, Gringo Cardia; Costume Designer Liz Vandal and Composer and Musical Director Berna Ceppas.
Show times are Tuesday thru Thursday at 8 pm, Friday and Saturday, 4 pm and 8 pm, Sunday1 pm and 5 pm. Ovo runs throughMarch 11, 2012. Tickets are $45 – $145, or $270 for a VIP experience that includes a private patio for intermission.
The Grand Chapiteau is located in the parking lot just north of the Santa Monica Pier, accessed by a staircase behind Bubba Gump Shrimp on the pier.
More information: (800) 450-1480, www.cirquedusoleil.com/OVO
