CHICAGO -- There was a time when Cirque du Soleil was simply cool, and that rubbed off on you if you were in the know. The French Canadian company and its wildly imaginative shows gave traditional circus acts an arty context and sheen. Regardless of how hard you tried to fight it, every Cirque show got its hooks into you.
Then the troupe hit Vegas and revolutionized entertainment on the Strip. Cirque developed projects around Elvis and a raunchy cabaret format. Along the way, it picked up corporate sponsorships from investment firms and luxury car manufacturers.
As great as my love for Cirque du Soleil has been, I have wondered if it had jumped the shark. Had it spread itself too thin? Had it run out of tricks?
Had the company settled in to a predictable formula? Realistically, how many ways can you present jugglers, contortionists and slack wire artists?
Cirque brings a new traveling tent show to the parking lot of the United Center here every other summer, and "Ovo" has arrived for a run through Aug. 21. I'm pleased to report it is fresh, fun and contains one of the most spectacular acts I have seen in any show under the Cirque brand.
"Ovo" is Portuguese for egg, the production's theme. That quickly leads us to bugs, a life form we would have expected Cirque to exploit years ago.
Chinese foot jugglers, costumed as ants, lie on their backs and spin large disks that look like kiwi slices. Firefly Tony Frebourg, a juggler and acrobat, whirls multiple diabolos on a string. He holds world records for the diabolo.
Butterflies Svitlana Kashevarova and Dmytro Orel, trapeze artists from the National Circus of Ukraine, capture the graceful flight of their insect character. We also see performing fleas, spiders and a dragonfly.
A large Slinky-like critter, called Creatura, doesn't really resemble any bug, but it is remarkable for its shape-changing ability. It stands up, hunkers down and rolls across the stage.
Thirteen trampoline athletes, costumed as crickets, provide the captivating climax to "Ovo." Performing in front of what appears to be a high climbing wall, they bounce onto and off of the facade just like, well, crickets.
Back and forth, they spring from trampoline to wall perch and back down for repeated rebounds. It's an astonishing visual spectacle.
"Ovo" is the first Cirque show directed by a woman, and noted Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker has clearly looked at the Cirque du Soleil concept through somewhat different eyes. The show is lighter and cheerier than some of the company's creations that are themed toward global connection and citizenship.
Much of the airier tone is set by Brazilian composer Berna Ceppas' score, which has us wiggling in our seats to a Samba beat. It is substantially more accessible than the ethereal music that often underscores Cirque shows.
Liz Vandal's costumes are clever and bug practical while meeting the troupe's world-leading standards in quality and spectacle.
We cannot overlook the special appeal of seeing Cirque shows under the big top. Its permanent installation productions – "O" and "Ka" in particular – are jaw dropping, but there is nothing quite like stepping into the canvas cocoon of that luxury, air-conditioned tent to experience the Cirque du Soleil magic.
Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare. Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as theater critic.
During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on WHAD for eight years.
Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking distance of most of the theaters he attends.
