Cavalia - How Circus should be done - in Style!

I took Oliver to Cavalia for opening night last week.  It's strange, because just a few months earlier was the first time I heard about Cavalia and it wasn't because I heard they were coming to town. It was from a friend who had seen it in Quebec last summer.  She showed me the program and raved about it. Later that week I heard that it was coming to Edmonton, so it seemed fitting that we should go. Based on her description I expected something like Cirque du Soleil but with horses and I thought Oliver was the right kid to take (especially since it was a school night and Gibson had gone to Mary Poppins). I think I made the right choice as Oliver seemed very happy to be there and I think some of the more sophisticated sections would have gone over Gibson's head.

It was really quite wonderful to watch.  Not a traditional play with a story, but a series of vignettes which demonstrate acrobatics, horse skills or a combination of both.  It's gorgeous and filled with sensory stimulation. It's definitely a complete package - acrobatics that make you gasp, horses doing tricks that leave you stunned, gorgeous sets that move and evolve like magic, falling leaves, rich music and costumes and a 'snowfall' that makes you laugh with joy.  It is truly how circus should be done - there is popcorn, candy and pop - but none of the dust and a level of luxury to the show that raises it to a new level. It's 100% spectacle - and although the ads I have heard for it talk of a story about horses and man through the ages, I found it hard to find that in it - but there were so many moments that made me catch my breath and Oliver was totally enthralled.  He wanted to buy the DVD so that we could bring it home to show Gibson, but alas they were sold out.

It's not something that we are likely to see very often as the tickets are on the upper end when it comes to price, but you can see where the money goes in the show as the level of production is very high and not a element seems wrong or skimped on.  Events like these are easily once in a lifetime kinds of shows.

#43 in my 2012 Theatre Goal

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SUMMER READING! #yegbookclub

Image
On May 26th we had a lively chat on twitter with author Thomas Trofmiuk about Waiting for Columbu s .  It was wonderful to be able to ask questions about the characters and their possible paths and has the author answer them.  It was very clear that they all continued to live outside the book.  We begged for a Consuela sequel as she was a favorite of many of us readers. It was also great to learnt hat there is a Waiting for Columbus movie in the works.  When I read the book I was struck by how cinematic it was and, like The English Patient , I thought it would lend itself to film. Following the discussion I indicated that there would be some Summer Reading Choice(s) for the next #yegbookclub.  I don't know about you, but I am always hard to pin down for the summer.  With holidays and day camps for the kids and, for this year, directing two Fringe Shows I thought we could have 2 selections to read over the summer and then in September we could take two evenings to chat about th
Read more

Fringe #42 - Sat, Aug 19 - Three Great Musicals and More WORD OF MOUTH Recommendations!

Image
I saw three great musicals on Saturday. They were very different, but enjoyable in their own ways! First I took in Morningside Road , a new musical by Mhairi Berg and Simon Abbott. It was so beautiful. having written a play about a similar topic I thought the way that the story was told was very well done. The music is lovely and sung very well - tight harmonies and gorgeous voices. At the end, I estimate 50% of the audience (if not more) was in tears and there was an instant standing ovation. This is a terrific pick!  Next up was The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes which in the spirit Schmigadoon, the lead character Howard wakes up to find himself living in a a musical and wanting to get out of it. It was a super fun ride of a show. It hit on so any musical theatre tropes and references what feels like a thousand specific shows. The Musical Theatre afficionado should not miss this show! I loved how they really leaned into all the ridiculousness because that's the only way this k
Read more

Bringing The Color Purple to the Stage with Joyous Song and Truthful Storytelling!

Image
Sometimes when you are very excited for something, it fails to live up to your expectations. This is NOT the case with The Color Purple currently running at the Citadel Theatre . As I wrote earlier, I loved Alice Walker's novel and I am happy to report that the production is everything and more than I could have hoped for. From the first few seconds of the show, when Celie (Tara Jackson) and Nettie (Allison Edwards-Crewe) sing a child's rhyme together, you know that musically you are going to be treated to something magnificent. This grows as the full cast joins them onstage and the world of Celie is created. The power and beauty of this cast in their vocals is majestic. It's the kind of music sung so well that it makes you want to lift from your seat. The Citadel has done an incredible job of bringing together this cast which has no weak links, each voice expressive, joyful and strong. Kudos to the cast and to Music Director Floydd Ricketts for creating such amazing sou
Read more