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Le Big Top
Cirque du Soleil flies again
BY SALLY CRAGIN

Come fly with me" has always been a Cirque du Soleil theme, but in the Montreal-based troupe’s latest touring production, Varekai, which comes to Suffolk Downs next Sunday, it’s the main event. This acrobatic extravaganza is partly inspired by the Greek legend of Icarus, who made a set of feather-and-wax wings and defied the gods by flying too close to the sun. When the heat melted the wax, he fell to earth. Cirque’s version is more merciful, however, since its Icarus figure lands safely in an enchanted forest that includes a catwalk, turntables, elevated platforms, and a lot of flexible and coordinated performers.

Cirque artistic director Nicolette Naum and composer Violaine Corradi made an advance stop at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston to talk about Varekai (Romany for "wherever") and the Cirque du Soleil experience. Writer/director Dominic Champagne conceived the show in 2002, they explain, and that makes it the first new Cirque piece post–September 11. "9/11 happened, and I cannot say it had a direct influence, but it had an influence," suggests Naum, an elegant woman wearing a tapestry shawl in the air-conditioned hotel suite. "With Icarus — where is the hope?"

In Varekai, Icare (played by Russian Anton Chelnokov) plummets from the heavens and encounters numerous strange and unusual characters. Some keep their feet firmly on the ground, like Canadian Rodrigue Proteau, who plays Le Guide, a Vergil-like character. Others defy the laws of physics, among them Russian Irina Naumenko, who balances on canes with her hands and feet, and Mexican juggler Octavio Alegría, who tosses everything from ping-pong balls to bowling pins aloft.

Throughout the show, special lighting and set pieces add to the Cirque experience. There is also an original score composed by Corradi, an expressive woman who sits forward when she wants to make a point. She describes her contribution as "lyrical urban Gypsy music" that takes many months to compose and then gets altered as she observes the performers going through their paces. "The music is helping create the adventure. What I breathe into the show is other realms of reality."

Drawing from influences as disparate as Hawaiian, Armenian, and mediæval-troubadour styles, Corradi sometimes inspires the performers by giving them CDs of what she’s listening to. But both women stress that "a spirit of cooperation" animates the Cirque organization, which now has nearly 3000 employees, including 600 performers who represent more than 40 nationalities and speak 25 different languages.

Cirque has come a long way from its start as the Quebec-based "Club des Talons Hauts" (the "High-Heels Club") in the early 1980s, a group who organized buskers. In addition to the three shows now resident in Las Vegas, there are nine separate productions on tour worldwide. Performers and administrators often spend years with the organization, and Naum has held various positions, including that of casting director. She describes the experience of working for Cirque as a "maelstrom," but it’s clear she delights in what she does. "A big percentage of our cast comes from the athletic world. They are all high-level athletes, but we look for an artist who also has a powerful personality."

"The constant renewal is what keeps Cirque alive," says Corradi, "so we never repeat ourselves. We want to go beyond the barriers. That is the key to our success — to stay faithful to the original dream — "

"That is still there," interjects Naum.

"So we keep on dreaming," says Corradi. "The goal is to keep dreaming."

Varekai is presented by Cirque du Soleil at Suffolk Downs indefinitely from July 25 (no performances July 26 through 29). Tickets are $55 to $75, $49.50 to $67.50 for seniors and students 17 and under, $38.50 to $52.50 for children 12 and under; call (800) 678-5440 or visit cirquedusoleil.com


Issue Date: July 16 - 22, 2004
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