212 Review: Cirque du Soleil: Delirium << Prev Next >>
by: ColonelZen	IP: 154.207	rated: 0-0	posted: 2006-11-18 14:36:31
I saw this Cirque du Soleil show at the Wachovia center in Philadelphia. At 127+ for tickets I won't say it wasn't worth it - I'll catch the next Cirque show in the area even at that price - but I was quite irritated by the venue. Distracted would be a better word. Paying for premium tickets and still being more than 100 feet from the stage, and squeezed into seats barely wide enough for my admittedly wide bum (my jacket caught on the arms when it was time to leave; I had to pull up the jacket before trying to stand) and little leg room does not leave me in frame of mind to relax and enjoy the show.     The opening act was a singer named Nitza. Certainly she is a good singer, but not a great one. Her voice was over amped and over modulated through the sound system, exactly the treatment which generally signals a less apt singer. Her enunciation was poor and it was almost impossible to distinguish lyrics (whether she lacks the vocal talent to handle the pauses and rapid modulation for clear expression amid the notes or it was poor settings at the mixer board I cannot say - I certainly was not impressed enough to shell out for her CD, though she was around to sign in person after the show. She was also outclassed by the musicians - Cirque's musicians - who backed her. The violinist, especially eclipsed Nitza dramatically whenever she was near center staged.     That should be said for all the Cirque's musicians. I am by no means "musical" but over the years I have learned somewhat to recognize skill by an absence of obtrusion. Which applied to the fiddler girl when she was side stage, but her showmanship and dramatic movement when center stage blew poor Nitza away. But the other Cirque musicians also deserve great praise, and the opening gave them a chance to "showcase" their skill (at Nitza's expense, sadly) without the distraction of Delirium. Major kudos for the drummer as well - you'd never know he was there but as important as percussion was to the show, I never heard a bad lick - and he certainly appeared to be performing live.     Delirium itself was interesting. It is a complex mix of stage, music, surrealistic lighting effects, choreography and acrobatics. Delirium is much less literary than was Quidam (see http://www.ip-wars.net/?op=displaystory;sid=2006/8/2/233825/1763). There was still a sense of story to tie the acts together but it was more of a theme than a drama.     The visual impact was intense. There was always more going on than you could see in the focus of your eye. The stage had little depth, perhaps 15 feet, but was about a hundred feet wide, so while there was the "main" act going on at the center there were usually other "things" happening on either or both sides. Often a side performance would be underway and wouldn't be noticed until the performers slowly moved to center. There were also very large projection screens to either side of the stage which would sometimes show the center show, but would other times have surrealistic imagery related to the "plot". For some acts gauze curtains veiled the performers with imagery projected upon them as either background or highlight.     The music was much more a part of this show than Quidam and evidently other Cirque shows. It was almost opera. The Cirque singers were good, usually having less range but better control than Nitza. You could sometimes make out the words of what they were singing, but again I had the feeling that the sound engineers were not doing them justice.     The choreography in this show was not as well done as Quidam, but I suspect part of that is due to the narrowness of the stage. There simply wasn't room for a lot of complex motion by a large number of actors, especially amid the props and wells.     I think it must be a hallmark of Cirque to find a way to astonish with the incredibly simple. Hula hoops? Did they find her in some titty bar or as part of some pep squad color guard? But all of skill, beauty, and stage presence she has.     Overall, I'd say it's not as good a show as Quidam but the shortcomings of the environment took a lot away from it; had I been closer to the stage in a more comfortable seat, I probably would have enjoyed it much more, but I don't think it would have matched Quidam for my enjoyment. But it was worth seeing, so yes, do see Delirium, even at over 100 per ticket ... but not at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia if you can possibly avoid it.     -- TWZ