Photos – OSA Images{jumi[slides/slide.php][totem_1014.php]}
There’s something irresistible and irrepressibly exciting about a contemporary circus performance and Totem, the new show by Cirque du Soleil, doesn’t disappoint. The moment that you step into the enormous performance tent, which is lit in the deeply atmospheric blue of a midnight sky, you are beguiled. Swathed in spectacular costumes, what these extraordinary acrobats can do with their bodies, and the physical limits they achieve, is awe inspiring. Every mesmerising, gravity defying leap, spin, somersault and act of glorious bravado elicits gasps and peals of joy in equal measure.
Totem is directed by the Canadian auteur, writer/theatre director Robert Lepage, who is well known to Sydney Festival audiences for his imaginative, multi-disciplinary works Far Side of the Moon, The Andersen Project and Lipsynch.
Lepage employs two loose themes as a frame work for the show: the first addresses the evolution of human kind from the primordial sludge, to Neanderthal, right through to the future, and the second draws upon tribalism in different forms. Curiously in this mix, he somehow manages to throw in one of humanity’s highest evolutionary achievements: Bollywood dancing – but it is great fun and it works.
The opening sequence is breath taking in its skill, beauty and theatrical power. Dressed in a leotard made up of 4,500 reflective discs, an acrobat descends from the top of the tent into a primeval, chanting, tribal group. This routine of spectacular, tightly choreographed and balletic bar work shows Lepage’s direction at its best.
The skill level throughout the show is extraordinary. The performers have been hand-picked from around the globe for their expertise which they always manage to take one step further than you might imagine. One of the show’s highlights is an act featuring five unicyclists. They are not content to whizz around the stage in a perfectly choreographed routine at full speed, but on top of that, they ride their cycles with one foot while using the other foot to toss pans onto their heads, sometimes backwards, while travelling at speed.
The racial diversity of the company adds a further dimension which evokes a sense of internationalism that sits perfectly with the themes of this production and is also reminiscent of the legendary theatre director, Peter Brook.
It is difficult not to compare Cirque du Soleil with Australia’s own contemporary circus darlings: Circus Oz. Whilst their skill sets share a lot in common, the tone and the style of each company’s work couldn’t be more different. That is not to say that one is better than the other. But stylistically they are worlds apart. Cirque de Soleil is slick, sumptuous and very beautiful. It is highly choreographed and quite balletic. The performers are immeasurably graceful and the focus of the work is squarely on the extraordinary physical skill.
Circus Oz, on the other hand, features a lot more interaction with the audience by all of the performers, not just the clowns, and so over the course of a performance the audience develops get a strong sense of each performer’s persona, which, in turn, makes the performance more intimate and personal.
Both companies use live music, but for the most part, the band in Cirque du Soleil’s Totem is not seen. Whenever the musicians do appear on the stage, however, it palpably raises the energy of the entire performance and intensifies the experience. The Spanish Toreador routine is particularly enhanced because of the musicians on stage.
Totem is a visually stunning show. The strong aesthetic is thanks to Carl Fillion’s clever set, the glorious costumes designed by Kym Barrett, and to the ingenious lighting design of Etienne Boucher. Cirque du Soleil is the world’s largest theatrical enterprise and for 30 years it has delivered dazzling acts with the very highest of production values and Totem is very much part of that tradition.
Cirque du Soleil presents
Totem
2014/15 Tour
Sydney– Showing now at the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
Melbourne – From January 21 2015, Flemington Racecourse
Brisbane – From April 10 2015, Northshore Hamilton
Adelaide – From June 11 2015, The Plateau in Tampawardli
Perth – From July 31 2015, Belmont Racecourse
Bookings: www.cirquedusoleil.com
