Seemingly, spectacles no longer have the power to suspend reality as they used to. Upon entering the arena, hushed conversation was not about the prospect of delighting in the almost death-defying feats of the trapeze artists or the barely comprehensible skills of a man deftly tossing eight balls into the air before juggling them nonchalantly. No, talk was of commutes, cuts and computer problems.
But mundane conversation slowly abated as androgynous, spandex-clad characters snuck into the arena, chattering away in a fictional language vaguely reminiscent of the Teletubbies. The clowns meekly interact with the audience, subjecting the unfortunate few to acts of gentle humiliation before the ringmaster calls them to order with a thundering clap. With that, Saltimbanco, the latest performance by Montréal’s world famous troupe the Cirque du Soleil, begins in earnest.
From a fairly subdued entrance, the show bursts into life, as four Chinese poles are erected on the stage, and twelve performers clamber up them at right angles and descend head first, with such ease and rhythm that you cannot help be captivated. Equally impressive was the trapeze act, in which two women perform a variety of acts swinging perilously high in the arena; the gentle swinging of the apparatus was in stark contrast to the tight timing required to interlock ankles 50 feet in the air. Mouths agape, we watched on as a performer was repeatedly flung towards the audience before being clutched by her partner in all manner of inventive and staggering ways.
And yet, the delight was not merely found in the impressive acts where the performers would risk life and limb. These feats were broken up by slow, but no less captivating mime scenes, in which a performer would parade around the stage, acting out various events as he performed the sound effects himself, culminating in an almost slapstick-esque scene where he gently succumbs to death in an overflowing toilet, complete with the haunting echo as he throws his fists against the invisible door in vain.
With such acts of artistic brilliance being performed, it is hard to appreciate the supporting elements – the choreography is majestic, the lighting is equally superb and the addition of a live band, performing what can only be described as saxophone-laced progressive rock, rounded off what was a professional, truly brilliant performance.
Cirque du Soleil Saltimbanco runs at the Trent FM Arena until the 25th July. Tickets available on 0844 576 5483 or from www.livenation.co.uk.
Alexander Britton
Tags: arena, Cirque du Soleil, Saltimbanco, trent fm
