Susan Granger’s review of “Cirque du Soleil: Ovo” (2009-2010 season)
“Ovo,” Cirque du Soleil’s new touring show, encamped until June 6th under the bright blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau on Randall’s Island, entices young and old into a spectacular web of fantasy and enchantment. At the center of the festivities is the thematic egg. Named for the Portuguese word for ‘egg,’ it is symbolic of our entire ecosystem. Under the watchful eye of clown-like Master Flipo (Joseph Collard), the enigmatic egg is toted in through the audience by a spiky, mysterious Foreigner (Francoise-Guillaume Leblanc) who falls in love with a sassy, plump Ladybug (Michelle Matlock). As their courtship ensues, they interact with a bio-diverse insect colony as Gringo Cardia’s elegant scenic design transforms from habitat, to forest, to cave. Clad by Liz Vandal in boldly colorful spandex, greedy Grasshoppers stalk the stage, glancing into the audience for their next morsel, a Dragonfly darts, a Firefly flutters, Fleas and Ants nimbly flit, sinuous Spiders slink across a large cobweb and one dazzles on the slackwire, Butterflies metamorphose and perform an aerial love duet while, in the background, Cockroaches make music, its roots drawn from New Age, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and Motown. Buoyant, astonishingly agile Insects swarm everywhere with surprisingly slick fluidity – this is what a live stage version of Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life” would look like!
Staged/choreographed by Deborah Colker (Cirque’s first female director), the cast includes 54 performing artists from 13 countries. Six Russian aerialists, costumed as Scarabs, soar 40 feet in the air, and the faultless, breath-taking trampoline finale features 20 sleek Cricket acrobats running, jumping and leaping up a 24-foot vertical wall.
Evolving since 1984 from a group of Montreal street performers, Cirque du Soleil is a wondrous Quebec-based phenomenon. In 2010, Cirque is presenting 21 shows simultaneously throughout the world. A luxury VIP Tapis Rouge package includes a prime seat as well as access to drinks and tasty hors d’ouvres before the show and dessert during intermission. All tickets are available at www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo or 1-800-450-1480. Or search the web for discount ticket brokers. For directions, seewww.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ovo/tickets/newyork/maps-infos.aspx