Cirque Du Soleil's KOOZÅ
Vibrant jewel-tone colors, flowing feats of acrobatics and contortion, and a sparkling mélange of vivacious characters including clowns, swindlers and animals make up the dream-like fantasy that is KOOZÅ.
Part Alice in Wonderland, part Moulin Rouge and a psychedelically-colorful wink toward the acid-trippy Batman Forever, Cirque du Soleil’s new show is described as “an adrenaline rush of acrobatics in a zany kingdom.” KOOZÅ tells the story of the Innocent, an unhappy recluse in search of meaning and his place in the world. The journey embarked on by the Innocent introduces many comedic characters such as the King, an imbecile with a free-thinking gold crown; the Trickster, the sprightly genius who created KOOZÅ’s world and keeps watch over the Innocent; the Pickpocket, a wily criminal disguised as a clumsy clown; Heimloss, an underground robot in charge of KOOZÅ’s mechanical machinery; and the Bad Dog, the Innocent’s disobedient-but-lovable shaggy companion who chases everyone and barks incessantly.
“KOOZÅ is about human connection and the world of duality, good and bad,” says writer/director – and Tony Award-winner and former Parisian street mime – David Shiner. “The clown is a character who helps us keep in touch with the sacred part of ourselves. At the core of the character is longing, and the wish to find meaning in life. As [the show] evolves we are exploring concepts such as fear, identity, recognition and power. The clown takes our deepest human weaknesses and makes them funny.”
Deemed “jaw-dropping” and “flawless” by The Washington Post, and “marvelously satisfying” by TheatreMania.com, KOOZÅ is a return to Cirque du Soleil’s origins, combining the classic circus traditions of acrobatic performance and clowning. Opening last October at the Santa Monica Pier, KOOZÅ’s Premiere Gala featured a slew of celebrities and their families walking the Purple Carpet, as well as several KOOZÅ characters performing acrobatic stunts and creating balloon animals for guests.
San Diego will welcome the troupe to the Del Mar Fairgrounds on February 25, waving a sad-clown goodbye to them on March 28. The 180,000 square-foot KOOZÅ mobile “village” is a spectacle in itself, comprised of the 165-foot Grand Chapiteau (or “Big Top” – a climate-controlled tent that seats 2,500 people), a VIP tent, an artistic tent – for wardrobe, warm-up, training, physiotherapy and actors’ dressing rooms – entrance tents, box office, kitchen, school, office trailers, warehouses and more.
The family-friendly show seamlessly fuses slapstick comedy and poignantly empathetic drama with vibrant, whimsical music. The beautiful, varied soundtrack includes extraordinary pieces like the Indian-flavored “Royaume;” “Junoon,” which feels like a cool afternoon at a tropical resort; the melancholy French track “Pearl”; “Imposteur,” the erratically fun-yet-frightful musical equivalent of Tim Burton; and the sublimely happy, triumphant and inspiring “L’Innocent.”
French-Canadian costume designer Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt describes KOOZÅ as embodying “a wide variety of sources of inspiration: everything from graphic novels, the paintings of Gustav Klimt, Baron Münchhausen, the Mad Max movies, time-travel movies to India and Eastern Europe. This visually naïve, exotic and timeless universe evokes the world of toys, lead soldiers and children’s books.”
KOOZÅ tickets range from $27-$250. www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/KOOZÅ
by Robin Hatfield
No documents found.
SAN DIEGO SOCIAL MAGAZINE, INC. | 625 Broadway, Ste. 1100, San Diego, CA 92101 | (619) 231-2200 office | (619) 231-2204 fax
© San Diego Social Magazine, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Website By eBURGEON, Inc