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[Theater reviews]

Dralion country
The return of Cirque du Soleil

BY CAROLYN CLAY

Fans of the exotic industry that is Cirque du Soleil know the Montreal-based merger of circus and theater is no elephants-and-peanuts operation. There are, in fact, no animals in Cirque shows except those portrayed by supple humans. And the troupe’s Saltimbanco and Allegria, which have played Boston, evoke Federico Fellini more than they do P.T. Barnum. But Cirque’s newest work, which will mark its first stop here in six years (at Suffolk Downs, August 15 through September 16), is apparently a bolder, brighter creation. According to Sylvie Galarneau, artistic director for the North American tour, Dralion " is quite different. The colors are more vibrant, more solid — primary colors, rather than the paler ones. "

One of the key colorists, costume designer François Barbeau, is sitting next to Galarneau on a couch at the Four Seasons Hotel, eager to explain his art. Created by director Guy Caron, Dralion is the first Cirque show to be designed by a new team of which Barbeau is a part. The veteran designer has taught at Montreal’s National Theatre School and has created threads for theater, film, and ballet. Dralion’s nearly 100 costumes, however, presented a particular challenge: not only do the duds have to dazzle, they have to flex, since 37 of the show’s 56 performers are Chinese acrobats. " The creation was more technique than pure creation, " says Barbeau. " I’ve learned a lot from what I’ve done, but the circus was just like a test — how to get the ideas through and keep the acrobats free for all their movements. " Not that we’re talking leotards here. " In Dralion, " he adds, " we use a lot of plastic beading, like for curtains. If you don’t know it, you wouldn’t realize what they are. They look like very rich embroidery or sequins. For me, this is part of the trick. It’s illusion. It’s theater. "

Each of Cirque du Soleil’s elaborate shows, including those ensconced in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas and at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, has a succinct moniker and a concept. ( " O, " at the Bellagio, is performed in water, the French word for which, " eau, " is pronounced " o. " ) According to Barbeau, Dralion revived " an old dream of [Cirque founding director] Guy Laliberté and Guy Caron to travel in China. They had the idea of doing a Chinese show, or a show with a lot of Chinese people. " Dralion’s name, he explains, sprang from an ancient Chinese entertainment. " The lion act is one of the Chinese classics. Within one costume there are two men; one is the head and the other is the bottom, and they do all kinds of acrobatic numbers. When I was in China, Guy Caron gave me a little Chinese dragon; it’s like a good-luck charm. And that little dragon was half dragon, half lion. So we had the idea of ‘dralion.’ Usually the traditional Chinese lion costume is like pajamas they both wear, and they have a blanket for the head. But we wanted to be more sophisticated, and we really went to town with it. It’s quite spectacular in a way. And the number is quite breathtaking too. "

As for the concept guiding the show, it, too, is a merger of East and West. High-tech and futuristic, Dralion is built on the idea of the four elements. " Five elements, " Galarneau pipes up, whereupon Barbeau explains that the fifth element is a Chinese word connoting the strength of the soul. " The Chinese believe that the soul is a world of its own. So this is one element for them. And then you have fire, air, water, and earth. " Galarneau adds, " It’s funny and interesting because, even though we said from the beginning we were not going to do a Chinese show, many of the inspirations come, actually, from the Chinese. "

Of course, Dralion, with its spectacular circus acts colliding with a journey of the soul, is designed to defy rigid interpretation. " For me, " says Barbeau, " Dralion is like a big illustration book. You pick up your image and then you do your own story. That’s why I think children can have their own vision of it, and then grown-ups have another vision. " As for whether Cirque du Soleil is intended for kids or for grown-ups, Galarneau responds, " We create the shows for ourselves. We create shows that we would like to see. We don’t think of demographics. " And she adds of the operation that has grown in 17 years from stilt walkers on the streets of Quebec to an international entertainment industry, " It seems to be working. "

Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion is at Suffolk Downs August 15 through September 16. Tickets are $38 to $60; $26.75 to $42 for children; $34.25 to $54 for students 13 to 17 and seniors on weekdays. Call (800) 450-1480.

 

Issue Date: August 2-9, 2001