One of our friends was having a birthday and she wanted all of us to get together and go see Cirque Du Soleil's new show in town Totem---pronounced Toe-TIM!!! with all the exclamation points. Before I get into it let's just say it was definitely entertaining and it seemed the sold-out crowd quite enjoyed themselves, which ultimately is what shows should do as people want to feel they are getting their money's worth. Now how can I describe this show? Hmmm...here's what they say Totem is about: It traces the fascinating tour of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. The characters evolve on a stage evoking a giant turtle, the symbol of origin for many ancient civilizations. Did you get that? As I stated, they tell you that's what the show is about but I'm not sure that's what actually occurred on stage, at least from my vantage point, which was only about 12 rows or so from the stage so I think I got a good view.
Now, for anyone who hasn't seen a Cirque show, they always have a lot going on in and around their stage from the main act performing to lots of peripheral characters roaming around the stage and through the audience thus you have to choose where to focus your attention so I will stick to the main performers.
The show starts with a guy in a mirrored body suit descending from the ceiling and handing off a lighted ball to a group of people dressed like frogs inside a skeleton tortoise shell where they then proceed to bounce around on a trampoline in and around the skeleton shell. The music (during the whole show) that is blaring from the speakers is a combination of live band and backing tracks that is best described as Enigma meets the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack meets "Hakuna Matata". At least it starts out in the way they describe, from there it gets weird. Especially since the mirror suited guy makes an appearance continually through the show handing off lighted balls to folks. He was about the only running theme I could make out in the show and honestly didn't get what he was about but the idea of a human mirror ball was interesting if only our ceilings were high enough.
After the frogs came a guy dressed as a Native American who twirled his way around the stage with five small hoops that he jumped through and turned into balls, wings, birds and other things--think whirling dervish meets hoola hoops meets Tonto.
Next up were guys in swimsuits and lifeguards who by the way were smoking hot and didn't have an ounce of body fat on them--I hated them all. They were all more cut than the Hope diamond--the bastards. Even the woman who came out to join them on what I like to call the Olympic rings had a six pack and probably could have kicked any one of our asses single handed. They all proceeded to fly and flip through the air on the rings---without safety nets or harnesses---impressive, and not just their bodies.
Then was an act I swear I saw in China. 5 women riding 6 foot tall unicycles while balancing bowls on their head which they then proceeded to take off their heads place on their feet then kick them onto their heads and the others heads all while riding around in a circle. In all the bowl tossing only one was dropped. Skillful yes--what it had to do with the journey of man--who knows?
Here's where it gets a little weirder. The mirror ball drops out of the sky to place two chairs while a ramp in the middle of the stage curls back like a tongue or spaceship opening and out walk what I call space alien showgirls from Vegas who then proceed to lay on their backs on the chairs and twirl sequined pizzas on their hands and feet for ten minutes. Men like pizza and girls with big boobs so I guess that is the mankind connector here.
This next act was what I can best describe as a band of guys ranging from age 20 to 60 who looked like refugees from an Eastern block nation, all related of course, who ran up and down poles. Unlike the guys on the rings, they weren't nearly as hot, a couple should cut back on the beer and the hair dye, plus they used guide wires which didn't make it quite as exciting. This was an act you'd see at an old school circus--in Romania.
Cirque's (always freaky) ringmaster came out and did some stick juggling while one of each character in the show watched. Maybe if he was creating fire with the I would have gotten a story thread but, alas, not as exciting as the other stuff.
Next was a guy dressed like an 1800's Charles Darwin who rolled some bowls around on the floor then jumped inside a clear cylinder and proceeded to roll lighted balls around himself. Fascinating and colorful but I am not even going to try to explain how this related to the theme besides mentioning the guy dressed in a monkey suit who ran around the stage at the same time. Oh Cirque--guys, balls and monkeys--really?
The Native American ring guy came back again and this time he brought a girl! Same dance...NEXT!!
Ok, I have to say this was probably my favorite act from a purely hysterical 70's flashback point of view. 2 canoes roll out and 2 characters step out dressed in all white and sequined Native American costumes and--wait for it--wearing roller skates! Think Pocahontas meets Tonto while wearing skates and 70's roller disco skating outfits. The proceed to step onto what looks like a large circular drum where they start circling on their skates to gain speed then boom--she throws her legs up on his shoulders and he spins her around and round and round. They then do about five or six more variations of this spin with her legs on his shoulder--her back arching, no hands, her arms out, etc.---which honestly to me looked like mankind consummating--on skates--while spinning in a circle. LOVED IT! And by the way if you go down to Golden Gate Park on most weekends you can see this kind of act free from a set of disco roller skaters who show up there to get their boogie on.
Finally the last troupe--dressed like black light day-glow aliens (again)--comes out with long thin boards on their shoulders. Then the smallest members of the group (the big husky ones hold the boards) proceed to jump up and down on the narrow boards, which are flexible, like trampolines. Flips, somersaults, twists, twirls--they do them all even jumping between boards--without guide wires and without nets--perfect landings every time. I have to say it was impressive---skill wise I'd have to say the best of the bunch.
The entire cast comes out at the end and does some hip-hop dance for a few minutes and then it's over, lights up, grab your coat, there's the door, thanks for coming, have a good night. I saw "O", Cirque Du Soleil with water, in Vegas and that did at least flow together, this one, not so much. It was truly like, hey I traveled the world and saw these cool acts, let's bring them to the States and put on a show! It's truly an old school circus act mixed with Las Vegas show flash. Was it entertaining--yes, did it make sense as the story of mankind--no--not a lick of sense. You watch clips of the acts here--for whatever reason the trapeze act did not perform for us.
Now, for anyone who hasn't seen a Cirque show, they always have a lot going on in and around their stage from the main act performing to lots of peripheral characters roaming around the stage and through the audience thus you have to choose where to focus your attention so I will stick to the main performers.
The show starts with a guy in a mirrored body suit descending from the ceiling and handing off a lighted ball to a group of people dressed like frogs inside a skeleton tortoise shell where they then proceed to bounce around on a trampoline in and around the skeleton shell. The music (during the whole show) that is blaring from the speakers is a combination of live band and backing tracks that is best described as Enigma meets the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack meets "Hakuna Matata". At least it starts out in the way they describe, from there it gets weird. Especially since the mirror suited guy makes an appearance continually through the show handing off lighted balls to folks. He was about the only running theme I could make out in the show and honestly didn't get what he was about but the idea of a human mirror ball was interesting if only our ceilings were high enough.
After the frogs came a guy dressed as a Native American who twirled his way around the stage with five small hoops that he jumped through and turned into balls, wings, birds and other things--think whirling dervish meets hoola hoops meets Tonto.
Next up were guys in swimsuits and lifeguards who by the way were smoking hot and didn't have an ounce of body fat on them--I hated them all. They were all more cut than the Hope diamond--the bastards. Even the woman who came out to join them on what I like to call the Olympic rings had a six pack and probably could have kicked any one of our asses single handed. They all proceeded to fly and flip through the air on the rings---without safety nets or harnesses---impressive, and not just their bodies.
Then was an act I swear I saw in China. 5 women riding 6 foot tall unicycles while balancing bowls on their head which they then proceeded to take off their heads place on their feet then kick them onto their heads and the others heads all while riding around in a circle. In all the bowl tossing only one was dropped. Skillful yes--what it had to do with the journey of man--who knows?
Here's where it gets a little weirder. The mirror ball drops out of the sky to place two chairs while a ramp in the middle of the stage curls back like a tongue or spaceship opening and out walk what I call space alien showgirls from Vegas who then proceed to lay on their backs on the chairs and twirl sequined pizzas on their hands and feet for ten minutes. Men like pizza and girls with big boobs so I guess that is the mankind connector here.
This next act was what I can best describe as a band of guys ranging from age 20 to 60 who looked like refugees from an Eastern block nation, all related of course, who ran up and down poles. Unlike the guys on the rings, they weren't nearly as hot, a couple should cut back on the beer and the hair dye, plus they used guide wires which didn't make it quite as exciting. This was an act you'd see at an old school circus--in Romania.
Cirque's (always freaky) ringmaster came out and did some stick juggling while one of each character in the show watched. Maybe if he was creating fire with the I would have gotten a story thread but, alas, not as exciting as the other stuff.
Next was a guy dressed like an 1800's Charles Darwin who rolled some bowls around on the floor then jumped inside a clear cylinder and proceeded to roll lighted balls around himself. Fascinating and colorful but I am not even going to try to explain how this related to the theme besides mentioning the guy dressed in a monkey suit who ran around the stage at the same time. Oh Cirque--guys, balls and monkeys--really?
The Native American ring guy came back again and this time he brought a girl! Same dance...NEXT!!
Ok, I have to say this was probably my favorite act from a purely hysterical 70's flashback point of view. 2 canoes roll out and 2 characters step out dressed in all white and sequined Native American costumes and--wait for it--wearing roller skates! Think Pocahontas meets Tonto while wearing skates and 70's roller disco skating outfits. The proceed to step onto what looks like a large circular drum where they start circling on their skates to gain speed then boom--she throws her legs up on his shoulders and he spins her around and round and round. They then do about five or six more variations of this spin with her legs on his shoulder--her back arching, no hands, her arms out, etc.---which honestly to me looked like mankind consummating--on skates--while spinning in a circle. LOVED IT! And by the way if you go down to Golden Gate Park on most weekends you can see this kind of act free from a set of disco roller skaters who show up there to get their boogie on.
Finally the last troupe--dressed like black light day-glow aliens (again)--comes out with long thin boards on their shoulders. Then the smallest members of the group (the big husky ones hold the boards) proceed to jump up and down on the narrow boards, which are flexible, like trampolines. Flips, somersaults, twists, twirls--they do them all even jumping between boards--without guide wires and without nets--perfect landings every time. I have to say it was impressive---skill wise I'd have to say the best of the bunch.
The entire cast comes out at the end and does some hip-hop dance for a few minutes and then it's over, lights up, grab your coat, there's the door, thanks for coming, have a good night. I saw "O", Cirque Du Soleil with water, in Vegas and that did at least flow together, this one, not so much. It was truly like, hey I traveled the world and saw these cool acts, let's bring them to the States and put on a show! It's truly an old school circus act mixed with Las Vegas show flash. Was it entertaining--yes, did it make sense as the story of mankind--no--not a lick of sense. You watch clips of the acts here--for whatever reason the trapeze act did not perform for us.
Previous posts trivia answer: Abraham Lincoln
This posts trivia question: What year and country was Cirque Du Soleil created?
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