Cirque du Soleil present TOTEM at The Royal Albert Hall

Cirque du Soleil is the name of the show on everyone’s lips this January. Returning to the mighty stage at the Royal Albert Hall they are once again wowing audiences with their impressive stunts and otherworldly acrobatics. More than any other, Cirque du Soleil is a production that whispers, ‘step away from the mince pies and get to the gym’.

'Totem' deals with the evolution of species and the development of human beings - the performers certainly illustrate the ‘survival of the fittest’. As I sat gaping at people catapulting themselves across the stage, with absolutely no fear, I wondered if they were even human. This new production is directed by Robert Lepage, the renowned Canadian theatre director, incidentally also from Quebec like the show’s origin. Tackling the theme of Darwinism he introduces us to a hoard of creatures, apes and cavemen, men in business suits and spacemen. The wizardry of the show is meticulously planned with a constantly evolving stage, making impressive use of the plain round central platform.

The evening is beautiful in every sense of the word, with an extravagant set from Carl Fillon and shimmering projections by Pedro Pires. The costumes are lavish and sparkling, and some look rather uncomfortable making the acts even more astounding. An entirely crystal covered man opens and closes the show, spiralling down from the ceiling, in a sequence that would be ideal as a Swarovski advertisement.

Highlights for me were the five cycling ladies, who wobble on tall unicycles while flipping stacks of golden bowls onto each other’s heads. I couldn’t help worrying for their safety, especially when one bowl dropped to the floor, but it was professionally recovered and all done with glowing smiles. A touching performance comes later from Canadian couple, Louis-David Simoneau and Rosalie Ducharme, acting out a charming love scene, entwining and stretching their bodies high on a trapeze; it is performed with ease and elegance. I also enjoyed the identical Balarus twins, who spin carpets fast on their feet and hands while one balances on the other’s head. And the finale is brilliantly executed, men bounce and flip on what look like thin planks of wood, held in the air by their strong companions.

Criticised often for the lack of logic in the show, I feel perhaps sceptics are missing the point.If I have a criticism it is that there is less variety this year with the acts and the disappointing clowns have no better material than usual.

Totem is my fourth time experiencing this magical circus company, and in fact I have never before left with such a clear idea in my mind about the message being conveyed. This is a show of extremes and magic, the concept is perhaps not there to be analysed but instead to act as an outline within which the acts can amaze and intrigue. If you leave a bit baffled, so what? It is much more fun to be mystified and leave pondering, that is the secret of the enduring success of the company. We are further confused by the language barrier that presents itself immediately: the peculiar title, the use of English and German notes in the programme and then the distinct absence of normal speech throughout the show, even the songs are in a dialect I could not recognise. This makes you feel, more than anything else, like a mere mortal outsider to the Cirque world.

Totem continues until 17 February 2011, buy tickets here.

TRACES at The Peacock Theatre

Traces is certainly a show with a twist. It was first seen in the UK in 2007 at the Edinburgh Fringe, and is now making an impact on London audiences at Sadler’s Wells Peacock Theatre. This is a thrilling circus type show from Canadian company Les 7 Doigts de la Main.

Interestingly a number of art forms are combined – while one performer dances, another draws on a projector screen and a third accompanies on the piano. The energy is buoyed by the atmospheric music (very well chosen I thought) and the immaculately timed fast lighting changes. I found the narrative a little disorientating; it is set in a makeshift urban warehouse with five characters living out what they believe could be their final days. This confusion only intensified my experience. The players tell stories about their pasts, touchingly sharing with us their personal strengths and weaknesses.

The urgency and precision of the show is attention grabbing from start to finish. The five performers excel, leaping across the stage with confidence and gusto. The acrobatic skills of the young cast (Antoine Carabinier Lepine, Antoine Auger, Genevieve Morin, Philip Rosenberg and Jonathan Casaubon) are alone enough to bring in a large audience.

Traces has both solo showcases and ensemble pieces, held together with speech and musical numbers. They incorporate a wide variety of circus skills within the show; of these the German wheel and the Chinese poles were my favourite, although there is a real wow-factor from the teeterboard act, where a seesaw-like jumping board is used to hurl one performer high into the air.

This is an awe inspiring show that reminded me of the great Cirque de Soleil.

Traces continues at The Peacock Theatre in Holborn until 30 October 2010.

Splish Splash!

Last night I ventured to the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to see 'Soap - The Show'. We were warned that during the performance we may get wet but aside from that information I had no idea what to expect. We opted to sit a few rows back ( I was wearing my favourite PPQ silk shirt - and was not keen on getting it soaked!)

The show was half cabaret, half circus, but on a smaller more eccentric scale than most, with the theme of bathtubs and water joining all the acts and ideas together. The style of production felt similar to cirque du soleil, but primarily advertises itself as a Cabaret show. The superb direction came from Markus Pabst, who directed La Clique, a similar extravaganza that won critical acclaim at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006. The cast of eight took it in turns to display their talents, sometimes working together, sometimes as soloists.

Patricia Holtzmann took centre stage for regular musical interludes, adapting some of the great classics (Mozart, Handel and even Rimsky-Korsakov) to the words of Bobby Darin's 'Splish Splash' - a song that cropped up throughout the show. I found some of her singing slightly unnerving and occasionally flat, possibly because her talent seemed unimpressive next to the acrobatics. There were six acrobatic acts - each performer has a different skill, the most exciting performances for me came from Francois Gravel with Dance Trapeze and Michael Lanphear with Straps. Both men drew audible gasps from the audience as they swung and threw themselves across the stage, often performing in water, always acting around the white bathtubs positioned on the stage. The theatre space is pretty snug at Riverside, and unfortunately I was sitting next to a very enthusiastic clapper, who felt the need to clap (very loudly), every 5-10 seconds, it was mildly distracting.

Nata Galkina (an antipode - foot juggler) also gave an awe-inspiring performance. Her astonishing talent is a rare art, and was definitely something I had never seen before. Her legs emerged from a bathtub, but her body was entirely hidden, and as she juggled and balanced more and more objects the experience became increasingly surreal. Like any circus, there was, of course the comedy factor. Marie-Andree Lemaire was a lovable clown figure. Usually I find the clowns quite irritating but I allowed myself to enjoy some of Lemaire's material.

Much of 'Soap' was non-sensical, but in the best way. It was quite unlike anything I have ever encountered before and was a unique and exciting production. The show caters for all ages and all interests. It is on until April 25th, tickets £20/£25.

WATCH 'SOAP' TRAILER HERE:

http://www.riversidestudios.co.uk/cgi-bin/page.pl?l=1264697914