This past Saturday night, as a birthday present, I treated my friend Melissa to see Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco, the latest touring show from Cirque currently featured at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise now through June 7, 2009.
Created originally in 1992, Saltimbanco was the first Cirque show to revolve around a single narrative and theme:
Saltimbanco-from the Italian ’saltare in banco’, which literally means to jump on a bench’-explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry,Saltimbanco takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart of the city..
The arena version was created in 2007, boasting bigger effects and a larger cast–and quite a large cast it is! I had heard through the grapevine that this show wasn’t as exciting as some of the other Cirque Shows–that it was just the same kinds of things as in every other show–but I beg to differ on that count. Yes, the show featured some of the same types of acts as in other Cirque shows (for instance, trapeze, hand-to-hand and Chinese poles, but it was captivating as always, with a bit of a more upbeat atmosphere than most Cirque shows.
The show started out with a traditional Cirque opening number featuring most of the cast parading across the stage, and a solo artist beautifully singing a haunting song. But it surprisingly led to a very jazzy soundtrack for most of the show, complete with a saxophone player and full rock band. The music was reminiscent of The Tonight Show or Saturday Night Live, and worked well with the high-energy and brightly-colored costumes of the cast, especially the Baroques (”enlightened beings with free spirits that run wild”).
I was a bit concerned about being too close to the stage, as we had front-row seats just off to one side. But in all honesty, it was quite a treat to not need binoculars and to see the cast’s makeup and costumes up close. (My husband said he felt like a VIP). Though during the last act with the bungees, I did get a bit of a neckache having to look up for so long.
Although the Cirque shows always find a way to incorporate humor, this show not only focuses quite a bit on that aspect, but salutes the age-old art of pantomime, and they do it superbly. The main performer showcasing this talent is “Eddie”, a Pee-Wee Hermanesque character described as “a jester, a clown…[the child within us all]“. He and “the Dreamer” have a bit of dueling sound effects and mime going on, and Eddie really engages the audience. Word of warning–there’s some “toilet humor” going on–quite literally–but it’s all in good fun and done in a way that you can’t help but laugh, even if it’s a bit off-color.
One act was quite unusual, and someting I haven’t seen before in a Cirque show–the Boleadoras.
The Cirque’s official site describes this act as:
Two performers twirl boleadoras in the air. A boleadora is a simple percussion instrument made of a weight attached to the end of a cord. The weights bounce off the ground and make exploding sounds either in unison or in counterpoint to the dance steps of the performers. Invented in Argentina , the boleadoras were used by hunters in the pampas or plains. This act is traditionally performed by men and brings together the sounds of the boleadoras and the influences of flamenco. Saltimbanco brings it to another level with a man and woman duo.
Now, I’m not sure if someone was out sick that night, but there was only one performer–a woman–and now knowing that it should have been two people, I would have loved to see that. But not having known it was supposed to be a duo, of course nothing detracted from the act–it was still exciting to watch and just as captivating as other acts, like the juggling and Bicycle Artist.
During the second act (and I was surprised there was an intermission, but I guess the vendors needed to make their quotas) there was another round of pantomime where Eddie brought a member of the audience member onstage. I won’t include any other spoiler here–but suffice it to say this section sparked a debate within our group whether the audience member was a plant or not. Some would say the timing on his sound effects were too impeccable. But in my humble opinion, having seen a lot of improv in my day, I think perhaps Eddie was just that quick-thinking on his feet that it could have been authentic. Either way, the act was loads of fun and demonstrated superior sound-effect and pantomime skills once again.
Ultimately, I didn’t feel that this show was lacking anything or too much of the same. I’ve seen nearly every one of Cirque shows and each time, I’m in awe of the performers’ amazing talent and dedication, and I enjoy the eye- and ear-candy of the different artistic creations via the costumes, music and set design. Saltimbanco is no exception, and is sure to be a delight for “kids” of all ages. And you still have a few days left to get your tickets and enjoy this summer’s Cirque spectacle, so what are you waiting for?
